Which type of join should you use to connect records in tables that match with fields in other tables?

Using an inner join is the most appropriate choice for connecting records in tables that match with fields from other tables. An inner join retrieves only the rows that have matching values in both tables involved in the join. This means that if there is no correspondence between the fields of the two tables, those rows will not be included in the result set. This is particularly useful when focus is required on the data that is relevant and interconnected, effectively filtering out unnecessary information.

In data analysis, it is often essential to extract insights that do not include unmatched records from either table, and this is where the inner join excels. By ensuring that only related datasets are combined, analysts can create more meaningful and accurate representations of their data.

The other options, such as a cross join, would return all possible combinations of records from both tables, which is not suitable for matching specific fields. A full outer join would include all records from both tables, regardless of whether they match, leading to potentially irrelevant information. A self join involves joining a table with itself, which is useful in certain scenarios but does not apply to connecting distinct tables based on common fields. Overall, the inner join precisely fulfills the requirement for connecting matching records effectively.