List Prefetch is an Query Optimizer routine that extracts the Record IDs (RIDs) that match a specific search criteria from a particular index. These RIDs are sorted in ascending order, thereby enabling sequential table access. By accessing the table data pages in a sequential fashion, disk head seek time can be drastically reduced and data page prefetching performed. The server considers list prefetch when table data page access is required, when a multiple index access condition is detected, or if data needs to be retrieved in physical order.