Question

An analyst is combining a transactions table with a product reference table. The transactions table lists only products that were actually sold this quarter, while the reference table contains the full catalog. The manager wants a result that shows every product in the catalog, including those with zero sales, so that discontinued or unsold items are visible in the report. The analyst writes the query as SELECT ... FROM transactions JOIN product_reference. Which join type placed between these two tables will produce the required result?

Accepted Answer

RIGHT JOIN, because it keeps all rows from product_reference even when no matching transaction exists

Answer

INNER JOIN, because it returns only products that appear in both tables

Answer

LEFT JOIN, because it keeps all rows from the transactions table on the left

Answer

CROSS JOIN, because it pairs every transaction with every product to guarantee full coverage