Editor's note: The features described in this article aren't final, so they might not be in the final product release in the same form.

For DBAs, one of the most important maintenance-related enhancements in SQL Server 2005 is the introduction of native partitioned tables and indexes. SQL Server 2005 enhances local partitioning, which is used for maintenance and performance reasons. Partitioning isn't new to SQL Server and the motivation for partitioning is still the same. Maintenance-relat...