What is partial-page caching and why is it useful?
Partial-page caching refers to the ability to cache portions of Web pages and reassemble them on the fly for individual users. With this technology, the cache can store all of the common elements of a Web page and query the application and database only for any non-cacheable objects. By uniquely identifying common elements (e.g., stock quotes, weather reports, news, graphics, headers, footers, etc.) that can be shared among different Web pages, only one copy of each element needs to be cached, invalidated and revalidated, thus saving valuable resources across all layers of infrastructure. In OracleAS Web Cache, this partial-page caching and dynamic content assembly functionality is provided by the Edge Side Includes (ESI) standard.
