Introduction to Recursion
Explore the concept of recursion, its significance in computer science, and how it is implemented in MySQL using recursive common table expressions. Learn how recursion enables advanced data handling such as hierarchical queries and iterative computations like Fibonacci sequences, while understanding the potential risks like infinite loops and performance impacts.
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Recursion is a phenomenon where something is defined in terms of itself. In computer science, recursion refers to a function that calls itself as part of its definition. In the sense of divide and conquer, recursion poses the opportunity to solve a complex problem in smaller, simple steps. So far, our understanding of SQL without recursion implies that a query terminates since SQL cannot loop forever. At the same time, we know that any SQL query can be evaluated efficiently in