A system includes determination, for a first partitioned physical query operator in a query operator tree, of a partition-wise placement cost based on a cost of each table partition associated with the first partitioned physical query operator and a partition-wise placement cost of any child physical query operator of the first partitioned physical query operator, determination of a placement cost for the first partitioned physical query operator physical query operator for each of a plurality of operator execution locations based on the determined partition-wise placement cost, determination, for a logical query operator associated with the first partitioned physical query operator, of a merged placement cost for each of the plurality of operator execution locations, and determination an execution location for the first partitioned physical query operator based on the determined partition-wise placement cost.