A search access path becomes invalid when which change occurs?

• A. The default value of a column is changed
• B. You add a new column
• C. You drop a column
• D. You rename a column

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is how data access paths are tied to metadata that the optimizer uses to decide how to read data. A search access path is the plan the database uses to locate and retrieve rows, and it relies on column definitions and the values that columns are expected to hold. When you change the default value of a column, you alter the expected data pattern that those plans rely on. That shift can make a previously chosen path less accurate or invalid, prompting the optimizer to re-evaluate and choose a new, more suitable access method.

Changing the default value doesn’t physically remove or rearrange data, so structural changes like adding, dropping, or renaming a column are less likely to invalidate the existing access path in the same way, though they can trigger recompilation or plan refresh.