full table scan
An operation that requires reading the entire contents of a table, rather than just selected portions using an index. Typically performed either with small lookup tables, or in data warehousing situations with large tables where all available data is aggregated and analyzed. How frequently these operations occur, and the sizes of the tables relative to available memory, have implications for the algorithms used in query optimization and managing the buffer pool.
The purpose of indexes is to allow lookups for specific values or ranges of values within a large table, thus avoiding full table scans when practical.
See also buffer pool.
See also index.
See also LRU.