Syntax conventions

Keywords SQL keywords are shown in UPPERCASE. However, SQL keywords are case-insensitive, so you can enter keywords in any case; SELECT, Select, and select are equivalent.

Placeholders Items that must be replaced with appropriate identifiers or expressions are shown in italics.

Continuation Lines beginning with an ellipsis (...) are a continuation of the statements from the previous line.

Repeating items Lists of repeating items are shown with an element of the list followed by an ellipsis (...). One or more list elements are allowed. If multiple elements are specified, they must be separated by commas.

Optional portions Optional portions of a statement are enclosed by square brackets. For example:

RELEASE SAVEPOINT [ savepoint-name ] 

The square brackets indicate that the savepoint-name is optional. Do not type the brackets.

Options When none or only one of a list of items must be chosen, the items are separated by vertical bars and the list enclosed in square brackets. For example:

[ ASC | DESC ]

The square brackets indicate that you can choose ASC, DESC, or neither. Do not type the brackets.

Alternatives When precisely one of the options must be chosen, the alternatives are enclosed in curly braces. For example:

QUOTES { ON | OFF }

The curly braces indicate that you must include either ON or OFF. Do not type the brackets.