Storing a separate copy of the database at multiple locations is which of the following?

Solution (By Examveda Team)

Storing a separate copy of the database at multiple locations is known as data replication.

Option A: Data Replication
Data replication involves creating and maintaining duplicate copies of the entire database or specific portions of it across multiple locations or nodes in a distributed database system. Each copy, or replica, contains the same data, and updates or modifications to the data are propagated to all replicas to ensure consistency. Replication improves data availability, fault tolerance, and scalability by allowing local access to data and reducing the impact of network failures or node outages. It also enhances performance by distributing query processing and reducing the need for data transfer across network links.

Option B: Horizontal Partitioning
Horizontal partitioning, also known as sharding, involves dividing a large table into smaller subsets of rows, where each subset is stored at a different location or node in the distributed system. This technique is used to distribute data horizontally across nodes based on a partitioning key, such as a range of values or a hash function. Horizontal partitioning aims to improve scalability and performance by distributing data and query processing across multiple nodes, but it does not involve creating separate copies of the entire database at each location.

Option C: Vertical Partitioning
Vertical partitioning involves splitting a table into smaller tables with fewer columns, where each smaller table contains a subset of the original columns. This technique is used to optimize storage and improve query performance by organizing related columns together and reducing data redundancy. Vertical partitioning does not entail storing separate copies of the database at multiple locations.

Option D: Horizontal and Vertical Partitioning
This option refers to a combination of horizontal and vertical partitioning techniques, where data is distributed both horizontally (across nodes) and vertically (by columns). It aims to achieve fine-grained data distribution and optimization based on specific access patterns and workload characteristics. However, it does not describe the practice of storing separate copies of the entire database at multiple locations.

Therefore, in the context of storing a separate copy of the database at multiple locations in a distributed database system, the correct option is Data Replication (Option A).