Cost
- SQL course
- Advanced
- Lesson 68/81
- 4 min
Read the cost of a plan.
Cost
EXPLAIN shows the cost of each step. A low cost means a fast query.
EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM products;
-- cost=0.00..15.20 rows=150Cost and row estimate.
All columns are selected from products.
Cost — details
Cost units are relative. Used for comparison, not absolute time.
You compare two versions of the same query with EXPLAIN and pick the one with lower cost; a smaller number means the plan is estimated to be cheaper.
Practice Cost
See the cost of a query with EXPLAIN.
Starter code
-- inspect cost
EXPLAINSample solution
EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM products;Expected output
cost=0.00..15.20
Questions and answers
Review the lesson questions together with their answers. To test yourself, solve the lesson interactively.
1 Cost: match the terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
cost |
cost |
low |
fast |
high |
slow |
relative |
comparison |
2 cost
____=maliyet
cost=maliyet
Explanation: Cost in EXPLAIN output is the plan's estimated cost; a lower value means faster.
3 What does a low cost mean?
- A slow query
- An error
- A fast query Correct answer
- No index
Explanation: A low cost means a fast query.