What are cursor-less development patterns

Question

Recently I came across development patterns call cursor-less . I try to find sources and articles about it and I couldn't find any. Can someone provide a example for cursor-less development patterns or point me to the right direction.

Answer 1

The term cursor-less is most likely related to databases. Relational database management systems typically provide cursors which can be used to iterate over a data set. Some systems also provide other mechanisms like while loops for the same purpose.

So cursor-less development pattern most probably means nothing more than using loops instead of cursors in database applications. This has nothing to do with general software design patterns.

Here are a few links:

Comparing cursor vs. WHILE loop performance in SQL Server 2008

Why is it considered bad practice to use cursors in SQL Server?