๐ŸŽ New User? Get 20% off your first purchase with code NEWUSER20 ยท โšก Instant download ยท ๐Ÿ”’ Secure checkout Register Now โ†’
Menu

Categories

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

EXPLAIN ANALYZE
A PostgreSQL command that shows the execution plan of a query along with actual runtime statistics for performance tuning.
Database Proxy
A middleware server that sits between applications and databases, providing connection pooling, load balancing, and query routing.
Data Warehouse
A centralized repository optimized for analytical queries that integrates data from multiple operational sources.
Schema
The structure definition of a database including tables, columns, data types, relationships, indexes, and constraints.
Window Function
An SQL function that performs calculations across a set of rows related to the current row without collapsing the result set.
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 All Databases Terms โ†’