Modify a partition scheme

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance

You can modify a partition scheme in SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, and Azure SQL Managed Instance by designating a filegroup to hold the next partition that is added to a partitioned table using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Transact-SQL. You do this by assigning the NEXT USED property to a filegroup.

You can assign the NEXT USED property to an empty filegroup or to one that already holds a partition. In other words, a filegroup can hold more than one partition. Learn more about filegroups and partitioning strategies in the Filegroups.

Table partitioning is also available in dedicated SQL pools in Azure Synapse Analytics, with some syntax differences. Learn more in Partitioning tables in dedicated SQL pool.

Limitations

Any filegroup affected by ALTER PARTITION SCHEME must be online.

Note

Azure SQL Database supports only the PRIMARY filegroup.

Permissions

The following permissions can be used to execute ALTER PARTITION SCHEME:

• ALTER ANY DATASPACE permission. This permission defaults to members of the sysadmin fixed server role and the db_owner and db_ddladmin fixed database roles.

• CONTROL or ALTER permission on the database in which the partition scheme was created.

• CONTROL SERVER or ALTER ANY DATABASE permission on the server of the database in which the partition scheme was created.

Modify a partition scheme with Transact-SQL

This example uses the AdventureWorks sample database.

1. In Object Explorer, connect to an instance of Database Engine.

2. On the Standard bar, select New Query.

3. Copy and paste the following example into the query window and select Execute.

   Note

   For simplicity, this code creates new filegroups but does not assign files to them. This allows the demonstration of how to modify the partition scheme but is not a complete example of configuring a partitioned object. Find examples of creating partitioned tables and indexes in Create partitioned tables and indexes.

   USE AdventureWorks2022;  
   GO
   -- add five new filegroups to the AdventureWorks2022 database  
   ALTER DATABASE AdventureWorks2022  
   ADD FILEGROUP test1fg;  
   GO  
   ALTER DATABASE AdventureWorks2022  
   ADD FILEGROUP test2fg;  
   GO  
   ALTER DATABASE AdventureWorks2022  
   ADD FILEGROUP test3fg;  
   GO  
   ALTER DATABASE AdventureWorks2022  
   ADD FILEGROUP test4fg;  
   GO  
   ALTER DATABASE AdventureWorks2022  
   ADD FILEGROUP test5fg;  
   GO 
   
   -- if the "myRangePF1" partition function and the "myRangePS1" partition scheme exist,  
   -- drop them from the AdventureWorks2022 database  
   IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.partition_functions  
       WHERE name = 'myRangePF1')  
   DROP PARTITION FUNCTION myRangePF1;  
   GO  
   IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.partition_schemes  
       WHERE name = 'myRangePS1')  
   DROP PARTITION SCHEME myRangePS1;  
   GO  
   
   -- create the new partition function "myRangePF1" with four partition groups  
   CREATE PARTITION FUNCTION myRangePF1 (int)  
   AS RANGE LEFT FOR VALUES ( 1, 100, 1000 );  
   GO  
   
   -- create the new partition scheme "myRangePS1"that will use   
   -- the "myRangePF1" partition function with five file groups.  
   -- The last filegroup, "test5fg," will be kept empty but marked  
   -- as the next used filegroup in the partition scheme.  
   CREATE PARTITION SCHEME myRangePS1  
   AS PARTITION myRangePF1  
   TO (test1fg, test2fg, test3fg, test4fg, test5fg);  
   GO  
   
   --Split "myRangePS1" between boundary_values 100 and 1000  
   --to create two partitions between boundary_values 100 and 500  
   --and between boundary_values 500 and 1000.  
   ALTER PARTITION FUNCTION myRangePF1 ()  
   SPLIT RANGE (500);  
   GO  
   
   -- Allow the "myRangePS1" partition scheme to use the filegroup "test5fg"  
   -- for the partition with boundary_values of 100 and 500  
   ALTER PARTITION SCHEME myRangePS1  
   NEXT USED test5fg;  
   GO  
   

Delete a partition scheme with SSMS

1. In Object Explorer, connect to your target database.

2. Select the plus sign to expand the database where you want to delete the partition scheme.

3. Select the plus sign to expand the Storage folder.

4. Select the plus sign to expand the Partition Schemes folder.

5. Right-click the partition scheme you want to delete and select Delete.

6. In the Delete Object dialog box, ensure that the correct partition scheme is selected, and then select OK.

Next steps

Learn more about table partitioning in these articles:

• Create partitioned tables and indexes
• ALTER PARTITION SCHEME (Transact-SQL).
• ALTER PARTITION FUNCTION (Transact-SQL)
• Partitioning tables in dedicated SQL pool