Database performance is the number-one cause of poor performance for scalable web applications, and the problem is magnified in cloud environments where I/O and bandwidth are generally slower and less predictable than in dedicated data centers. Database sharding is a highly effective method of removing the database scalability barrier by operating on top of proven RDBMS products such as MySQL and Postgres as well as the new NoSQL database platforms. In this session, you'll learn what it really takes to implement sharding, the role it plays in the effective end-to-end lifecycle management of your entire database environment, why it is crucial for ensuring reliability, and how to choose the best technology for a specific application. We'll also share a case study on a high-volume social networking application that demonstrates the effectiveness of database sharding for scaling cloud-based applications.