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Databases Intermediate

What is Cursor?

A database object that enables row-by-row processing of query results, useful for operations that cannot be done in bulk.

Cursors provide a way to iterate over query results one row at a time, rather than fetching everything at once. They are useful when processing each row requires complex logic or when result sets are too large for memory.

However, cursors are generally slower than set-based operations. Most SQL operations should use standard SELECT/UPDATE/DELETE statements. Cursors are mainly useful in stored procedures and migration scripts that need row-level processing.

Related Terms

CTE (Common Table Expression)
A temporary named result set defined within a SQL statement using the WITH clause, improving query readability and enabling recursion.
View
A virtual table defined by a SQL query that provides a simplified or restricted view of data from one or more tables.
Foreign Key
A column that creates a link between two tables by referencing the primary key of another table.
Elastic Search
A distributed search and analytics engine built on Apache Lucene, optimized for full-text search and log analysis.
Data Warehouse
A centralized repository optimized for analytical queries that integrates data from multiple operational sources.
Database Backup
The process of creating copies of database data to protect against data loss from failures, corruption, or human error.
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