An expression is a combination of one or more constants, literals, functions, column identifiers and/or variables, separated by operators, that returns a single value. Expressions can be of several types, including arithmetic, relational, logical (or Boolean), and character string. In some Transact-SQL clauses, a subquery can be used in an expression. A case expression can be used in an expression.
Table 4-1 lists the types of expressions that are used in Adaptive Server syntax statements.
| Usage | Definition | 
|---|---|
| expression | Can include constants, literals, functions, column identifiers, variables, or parameters | 
| logical expression | An expression that returns TRUE, FALSE, or UNKNOWN | 
| constant expression | An expression that always returns the same value, such as “5+3” or “ABCDE” | 
| float_expr | Any floating-point expression or an expression that implicitly converts to a floating value | 
| integer_expr | Any integer expression or an expression that implicitly converts to an integer value | 
| numeric_expr | Any numeric expression that returns a single value | 
| char_expr | Any expression that returns a single character-type value | 
| binary_expression | An expression that returns a single binary or varbinary value |