For a database management system installed in a data processing system, the database management system for managing a database having partitions for storing table data based on a partitioning schema, in which each partition has an associated partition identifier, and in which the database has database catalog information associated therewith, a method for executing a query against the database is disclosed. The method includes identifying a partition identifier in accordance with the partitioning schema, selecting the partition identifier based on the contents of the query and the database catalog information, and executing the query against the identified partition. The method improves the execution of queries while minimizing the consumption of network resources.