Multiple choice technology programming languages

It is better to buffer a table when

  1. When a table is read infrequently

  2. When a table is linked to check tables

  3. When a table is read frequently and the data seldom changes

  4. When a single record is to be picked up

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Buffering is beneficial when a table is read frequently (to benefit from cached access) but the data seldom changes (to avoid cache invalidation overhead). Infrequently read tables gain no benefit, while tables linked to check tables and single-record lookups have different optimization strategies.

AI explanation

To answer this question, you need to understand the concept of table buffering.

Table buffering is a technique used in computer systems to improve performance when accessing data from a database table. It involves storing a copy of the table data in memory, which allows faster access to the data when it is needed. The copy in memory is called a buffer.

Let's go through each option to understand why it is correct or incorrect:

Option A) When a table is read infrequently - This option is incorrect. Buffering a table is typically not necessary when the table is read infrequently because the overhead of maintaining the buffer outweighs the performance benefits.

Option B) When a table is linked to check tables - This option is incorrect. Buffering a table is not directly related to linking it to check tables. The need for buffering depends on the frequency of reading the table and the data change frequency.

Option C) When a table is read frequently and the data seldom changes - This option is correct. Buffering a table is beneficial when the table is read frequently because it reduces the need to access the disk for each read operation. It is also useful when the data seldom changes because the buffer can be updated less frequently.

Option D) When a single record is to be picked up - This option is incorrect. Buffering a table is not specifically related to picking up a single record. It is more applicable when multiple records or a large amount of data needs to be accessed frequently.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option C) When a table is read frequently and the data seldom changes. This option is correct because buffering a table in such cases can significantly improve performance by reducing disk access and utilizing the buffer for faster data retrieval.