Oracle in a Nutshell

Access path hints

The following hints direct the query optimizer to a specific type of access path, if available:

FULL( table )

Specifies a full table span for table.

ROWID( table )

Specifies a table scan by ROWID for table.

CLUSTER(table)

Specifies a cluster scan for table.

HASH(table)

Specifies a hash scan for table.

INDEX( table [ index . . .])

Specifies using an index. If a single index is in the hint, that index is used. If multiple indexes are specified in the hint, the SQL optimizer determines the lowest cost for an index listed. If no indexes are listed, the SQL optimizer uses the index on the table with the lowest cost.

INDEX_ASC( table [ index . . ])

Specifies an index to be used in ascending order. The syntax is identical to that of the INDEX hint.

INDEX_COMBINE( table [ index . . .])

Specifes the use of the bitmapped indexes listed. The syntax is identical to that of the INDEX hint.

INDEX_JOIN( table [ index . . .])

Specifies using an index join for access. The syntax is identical to that of the INDEX hint. New with Oracle8i.

INDEX_DESC( table [ index . . .])

Specifies an index to be used in descending order. The syntax is identical to that of the INDEX hint.

INDEX_FFS( table [ index . . .])

Specifies a fast full index scan to be used instead of a table scan. The syntax is identical to that of the INDEX hint.

NO_INDEX( table [ index . . .])

Explicitly disallows the use of the specified indexes. New with Oracle8i.

AND_EQUAL( table index index [ index . . .])

Specifies ...