Cassandra Practice Test

Which of the following is not a recommended partitioning strategy in Cassandra?

1. Large partitions

2. Small partitions

3. Balanced partitions

4. Evenly distributed partitions

The correct answer is: Large partitions

The concept of partitioning in Cassandra is crucial for performance and scalability. Recommended strategies typically aim to ensure efficient data distribution and retrieval. Large partitions are generally not advisable because they can lead to performance bottlenecks and increased garbage collection overhead. When partitions become too large, they can negatively impact read and write latency, make data management cumbersome, and risk overwhelming the system during operations like repairs or compactions. In contrast, small partitions are beneficial for performance by allowing for more efficient read and write operations, as they can be processed quickly and parallelized across the cluster. Balanced partitions emphasize an even distribution of data across nodes, preventing any single node from becoming a hotspot that could lead to imbalanced workloads. Evenly distributed partitions contribute to a system's overall health and responsiveness because they ensure that queries are spread out across the cluster rather than being concentrated on one or a few nodes. Thus, large partitions stand out as the strategy to avoid, highlighting the importance of keeping data within manageable sizes for optimal performance and reliability in a Cassandra environment.