By default, the Integration Service sets partition points at various transformations in the pipeline. Partition points mark thread boundaries and divide the pipeline into stages. A stage is a section of a pipeline between any two partition points. When you set a partition point at a transformation, the new pipeline stage includes that transformation.

The following figure shows the default partition points and pipeline stages for a mapping with one pipeline:

When you add a partition point, you increase the number of pipeline stages by one. Similarly, when you delete a partition point, you reduce the number of stages by one. Partition points mark the points in the pipeline where the Integration Service can redistribute data across partitions.

For example, if you place a partition point at a Filter transformation and define multiple partitions, the Integration Service can redistribute rows of data among the partitions before the Filter transformation processes the data. The partition type you set at this partition point controls the way in which the Integration Service passes rows of data to each partition.