https://sparsenotes.com/tags/cost-based-optimizer/ Recent content in cost-based-optimizer on Sparse Notes https://sparsenotes.com/images/og-default.png https://sparsenotes.com/images/og-default.png Hugo -- gohugo.io Sat, 14 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://sparsenotes.com/posts/2026/11/papers/access-path-selection-selinger-1979/ Sat, 14 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://sparsenotes.com/posts/2026/11/papers/access-path-selection-selinger-1979/ Seminal paper of the week: the System R optimizer paper that made SQL practical. Pat Selinger and colleagues combined a cost formula, selectivity estimates from catalog statistics, and dynamic programming over join orders with 'interesting orders'. Nearly every relational optimizer since has used the same structure.