Which join is equivalent to a Cartesian Product?Answer choicesSelect an optionINNER JOINCROSS JOINOuter joinNone of the above

1. Break Down the Problem

To determine which join is equivalent to a Cartesian Product, we need to examine the characteristics of the different types of joins available in SQL.

2. Relevant Concepts

• CROSS JOIN: This join produces a Cartesian Product of two tables, meaning it combines every row from the first table with every row from the second table.
• INNER JOIN: This join returns rows when there is a match in both tables; it does not include all possible combinations.
• OUTER JOIN: This type of join includes rows from one table even if there is no match in the other table, which is not equivalent to a Cartesian Product.

3. Analysis and Detail

• The CROSS JOIN creates all possible combinations of rows from the two tables, which is exactly what a Cartesian Product does.
• An INNER JOIN would only return combinations that meet the join condition.
• An OUTER JOIN adds extra rows from one table when there is no corresponding row in the other, thus differing from the Cartesian Product structure.

4. Verify and Summarize

Analyzing the characteristics of these joins confirms that the only join type that replicates the Cartesian Product behavior is the CROSS JOIN. This means that any time two tables are combined via a CROSS JOIN, the result set will include every possible pairing of rows from the two tables.

Final Answer

CROSS JOIN is equivalent to a Cartesian Product.