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Core Concepts

In this section of the documentation, you will learn some of the core concepts of how ClickHouse works.

PageDescription
Table partsLearn what table parts are in ClickHouse.
Table partitionsLearn what table partitions are and what they are used for.
Table part mergesLearn what table part merges are and what they are used for.
Table shards and replicasLearn what table shards and replicas are and what they are used for.
Primary indexesIntroduces ClickHouse’s sparse primary index and how it helps efficiently skip unnecessary data during query execution. Explains how the index is built and used, with examples and tools for observing its effect. Links to a deep dive for advanced use cases and best practices.
Architectural OverviewA concise academic overview of all components of the ClickHouse architecture, based on our VLDB 2024 scientific paper.