Cursor

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What Does Cursor Mean?

A database cursor is an object used to pinpoint records in a database. Just like a typing cursor is used to alert you where your text will appear, a database cursor also shows you the specific record in a database that is being worked upon.

Techopedia Explains Cursor

When a database file is opened, the cursor points to the first record in the file, and using various commands the cursor can move to any location within the file.

When designing a database, the developer must take care not to use too many open cursors. Each cursor uses an (admittedly small) amount of memory. However, if cursors are never closed, that is, discarded after completing their work, they can pile up in memory and cause performance problems.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.