The _______ join produces the cross product of two tables.Select one:a.Crossb.Outerc.Selfd.Equi

Break Down the Problem

1. Understand the different types of joins in relational databases and their purposes.
2. Identify which of the given options refers to the join that produces the cross product of two tables.

Relevant Concepts

• Cross Join: A join that produces the Cartesian product of two tables where every row from the first table is combined with every row from the second table.
• Outer Join: Combines records from two tables based on a related column and includes unmatched rows.
• Self Join: A regular join but the table is joined with itself.
• Equi Join: A specific type of join where the join condition is based on equality.

Analysis and Detail

• A cross join yields a result set that contains all possible combinations of rows from two tables. If Table A has $m$ rows and Table B has $n$ rows, a cross join would return $m \times n$ rows in total.
• It is crucial to differentiate this from the other types of joins:
  • An outer join includes all records from one table and the matched records from the second table.
  • A self join utilizes a table against itself to fetch related records.
  • An equi join specifically uses equality in the join condition, which is not the case in cross joins.

Verify and Summarize

Since the question explicitly asks which join produces the cross product, the correct term is clear. The only type of join from the options that reflects this method is the cross join.

Final Answer

a. Cross