Can you explain what it means to divide tables into segments or parts in a database?

Partitioning tables into segments or parts in a database is the process of horizontally or vertically dividing data to improve performance and manageability.

• Horizontal partitioning (sharding) involves dividing a table into multiple parts by rows, for example, by value ranges or by key. Each part is stored separately, which speeds up queries and facilitates scaling.
• Vertical partitioning involves dividing a table by columns, where frequently used and rarely used data are stored separately.

Example: if there is an orders table, it can be divided into segments by years or regions to speed up queries and simplify maintenance.