CHAPTER 5The Basic Parts of Speech in SQL

With the Structured Query Language (SQL), you tell Oracle which information you want it to select, insert, update, or delete. In fact, these four verbs are the primary words you will use to give Oracle instructions. As of Oracle9i, you can use an additional command, merge, to perform inserts and updates with a single command. As of Oracle Database 10g, the merge command capabilities have been extended to include greater control over the inserts, updates, and even deletes performed within a single statement. Also as of Oracle Database 10g, these basic commands are further enhanced to support flashback version queries and other features.

In Part I, you saw what is meant by “relational,” how tables are organized ...

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