Editing Result set (section)

A '''result set''' is the set of results returned by a query, usually in the same format as the [[database]] the query is called on.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beaulieu |first=Alan |url=https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/learning-sql-3rd/9781492057604/ch01.html |title=Learning SQL, 3rd Edition |publisher=O'Reilly Media |others= |year=2020 |isbn=9781492057611 |edition=3rd |chapter=Chapter 1. A Little Background |oclc=1138944140}}</ref> For example, in [[SQL]], which is used in conjunction with [[relational databases]], it is the result of a <code>[[Select (SQL)|SELECT]]</code> query on a [[Table (SQL)|table]] or [[View (SQL)|view]] and is itself a non-permanent table of rows, and could include [[metadata]] about the query such as the column names, and the types and sizes of each [[Column (database)|column]]. In an [[object database]], the result set is usually a [[collection (abstract data type)|collection]] of objects from the database.

Depending on the database, the number of rows in the result set may or may not be known. Usually, this number is not known up front because the result set is built [[on the fly]]. A [[Cursor (databases)|cursor]] can be used by client applications to fetch a few rows of the result set at a time.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/57436/mod_book/chapter/37615/CS2203.Textbook.Database.Fundamentals.pdf |title=Database Fundamentals |publisher=IBM Corporation |year=2010 |edition=1st |pages=122–123}}</ref>