cardinality :The number of distinct values in a column or a table.
Cartesian product :The query result produced when a join condition is omitted from a query
that references two or more tables in the FROM clause.
change vectors: A description of a change made to a single block in the database.
checkpoint :An event during which the dirty data block buffers are flushed to disk and database
files are updated to reflect this action. The database is put into a consistent state.
checkpoint (CKPT) process :The Oracle background process that updates the control file and
the datafile headers to reflect the last successful transaction by recording the last System Change
Number (SCN).
CKPT :See checkpoint (CKPT) process.
column :The vertical space in a table or a view that holds a specific domain of data. In the relational
model, an entity has attributes. When this model is implemented in an Oracle database,
an entity becomes a table, and an attribute becomes a column.
COMMIT :The SQL command for making permanent the changes effected during a transaction.
connection The communication channel between the User Process and the Server Process. See
also Server Process; User Process.
consistent backup :A backup performed while the database is shut down and unavailable.
Also referred to as offline backup.
constraint :An optional schema object that restricts values in the dependent table to a specified
condition. Constraints enforce business rules about data.
control file :A small binary file that contains metadata about the physical structure of the database
such as the database name, locations of the datafiles and redo logs, and recovery information.
cost-based optimizer :The Oracle optimizer mode that uses statistics about the size, selectivity,
and dispersion of the tables and indexes in the database to formulate the most efficient
execution plan.