> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mariadb.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mariadb.com/docs/gridgain/gridgain-8/architecture/data-distribution.md).

# Data Distribution

How data is distributed and represented in a GridGain cluster, covering data partitioning, affinity colocation, and the key-value and SQL access models.

This section explains how GridGain distributes and represents data across a cluster. It covers the physical organization of data through [data partitioning](/docs/gridgain/gridgain-8/architecture/data-distribution/data-partitioning.md) and [affinity colocation](/docs/gridgain/gridgain-8/architecture/data-distribution/affinity-colocation.md), as well as the two logical representations of data — the key-value cache and SQL tables — described in the [Data Modeling introduction](/docs/gridgain/gridgain-8/architecture/data-distribution/introduction.md).

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[Introduction](/docs/gridgain/gridgain-8/architecture/data-distribution/introduction.md)
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How data is stored and accessed in GridGain, contrasting the physical partitioned layout with the equivalent key-value cache and SQL table views.
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[Data Partitioning](/docs/gridgain/gridgain-8/architecture/data-distribution/data-partitioning.md)
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How GridGain partitions data across server nodes with the affinity function, the partitioned and replicated cache modes, backups, and partition map exchange.
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[Affinity Colocation](/docs/gridgain/gridgain-8/architecture/data-distribution/affinity-colocation.md)
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How affinity colocation stores related cache entries together on the same node so multi-entry queries run locally, and how to configure a custom affinity key.
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