MySQL in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

Part II. SQL Statements and Functions

This part of the book is a complete reference for the version of the SQL language used by MySQL. It divides the SQL statements and functions by the basic functions (scheme design, data manipulation, replication, etc.). Examples use the mysql command-line client, but they are equally valid when issued from the programming APIs discussed in Part IV.

Some of the chapters in this part start with a list of statements grouped by type, as a quick reference. The statements are then listed in alphabetical order. For the more complex statements, to simplify their presentation, I’ve broken the syntax into several sections according to the different uses of the statement.

Here are some general elements of MySQL’s SQL syntax:

• SQL statements may span multiple lines, but they must end with either a semicolon or \G, unless another character is specified with DELIMITER.

• When values are enclosed in parentheses, multiple values can usually be specified, separated by commas.

• Strings and dates must be specified within single or double quotes, unless a date is given as a numeric and is part of a date calculation.

• Elements of a statement’s syntax are case-insensitive. However, on Unix-type systems, database and table names, as well as filenames, are case-sensitive.

The MySQL statements, clauses, and functions explained in Chapters 4 through 14 are grouped in each chapter, first by statements and clauses, then by functions. They are listed alphabetically within each group. ...