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SQL statements also include the semicolon (";") statement terminator. Though not required on every platform, it is defined as a standard part of the SQL grammar. Insignificant whitespace is generally ignored in SQL statements and queries, making it easier to format SQL code for readability.
The SELECT statement has many optional clauses: SELECT list is the list of columns or SQL expressions to be returned by the query. This is approximately the relational algebra projection operation. AS optionally provides an alias for each column or expression in the SELECT list.
The CASE expression, for example, enables SQL to perform conditional branching within queries, providing a mechanism to return different values based on evaluated conditions. This logic can be particularly useful for data transformation during retrieval, especially in SELECT statements.
The sort criteria can be expressions, including column names, user-defined functions, arithmetic operations, or CASE expressions. The expressions are evaluated and the results are used for the sorting, i.e., the values stored in the column or the results of the function call. ORDER BY is the only way to sort the rows in the result set.
In SQL, the data manipulation language comprises the SQL-data change statements, [3] which modify stored data but not the schema or database objects. Manipulation of persistent database objects, e.g., tables or stored procedures, via the SQL schema statements, [3] rather than the data stored within them, is considered to be part of a separate data definition language (DDL).
A function is a subprogram written to perform certain computations. A scalar function returns only one value (or NULL), whereas a table function returns a (relational) table comprising zero or more rows, each row with one or more columns. Functions must return a value (using the RETURN keyword), but for stored procedures this is not mandatory.
A query language, like for example Structured Query Language (SQL), is used to prepare the queries. SQL is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standardized query language developed specifically to write database queries. Each database management system may have its own language, but most are relational.
The SQL From clause is the source of a rowset to be operated upon in a Data Manipulation Language (DML) statement. From clauses are very common, and will provide the rowset to be exposed through a Select statement, the source of values in an Update statement, and the target rows to be deleted in a Delete statement.