An exact-match query is:

Where a record is returned if its unique identifier matches the search value
  • Where a record is returned if its relevant key value falls within a specified range
  • Another name for any database query that returns a key value
  • A way of efficiently locating the records in a database

Returning a record that falls within a range is called a range query.

There are many database queries that are not exact-match queries.

Whether a search is efficient or not has nothing to do with whether it is an exact-match query or not.

A query to find the record that matches a unique identifier is called an exact-match query.