AI engineering glossary · SQL databases
What is full table scan?
Full table scan (also called Sequential scan): A read strategy where the database examines every row of a table to find matches. It is fine for small tables or when most rows are needed, but costly when a small fraction is wanted and an index could help.
Full table scan: an example
Without an index on email, looking up one user among 5 million rows reads all 5 million.
Related terms
More SQL databases terms
Where you learn it
Full table scan is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.