In one embodiment, a method includes determining a data record partition size based on resources used for transferring data from a higher storage tier to one or more lower storage tiers. The method also includes determining which data records stored to the higher storage tier are suitable for export to the one or more lower storage tiers, determining a distribution mapping of the first memory, the distribution mapping indicating a relative distribution of storage locations for all of the data records that are stored to the higher storage tier, identifying all sets of contiguously stored data records on the higher storage tier that are suitable for export and greater in size than the data record partition size, logically sorting, in a descending order of size, the sets of contiguously stored data records, and sending a list of logically sorted sets of contiguously stored data records to an exporter.