SQL reference for Databricks SQL

This is a SQL command reference for Databricks SQL.

General reference

This general reference describes data types, functions, identifiers, literals, and semantics:

• Data types
• Datetime patterns
• Built-in functions
• Identifiers
• Literals
• Null semantics

DDL statements

You use data definition statements to create or modify the structure of database objects in a database:

• ALTER DATABASE
• ALTER TABLE
• ALTER VIEW
• CREATE DATABASE
• CREATE TABLE
• CREATE VIEW
• DROP DATABASE
• DROP TABLE
• DROP VIEW
• REPAIR TABLE
• TRUNCATE TABLE
• USE DATABASE

DML statements

You use data manipulation statements to add, change, or delete data:

• INSERT INTO
• INSERT OVERWRITE

Data retrieval statements

You use the SELECT statement to retrieve rows from one or more tables according to the specified clauses. The full syntax and brief description of supported clauses are explained in SELECT. The SQL statements related to SELECT are also included in this section.

Databricks SQL also provides the ability to generate logical and physical plan for a query using the EXPLAIN statement.

• SELECT
• EXPLAIN

Delta Lake statements

You use Delta Lake SQL statements to manage tables stored in Delta Lake format:

• CACHE SELECT
• CLONE
• CONVERT TO DELTA
• COPY INTO
• CREATE BLOOMFILTER INDEX
• DELETE FROM
• DESCRIBE HISTORY
• DROP BLOOMFILTER INDEX
• FSCK REPAIR TABLE
• GENERATE
• MERGE INTO
• RESTORE
• OPTIMIZE
• UPDATE
• VACUUM

For details on using Delta Lake statements, see Delta Lake and Delta Engine guide.

Auxiliary statements

You use auxiliary statements to collect statistics, manage caching, explore metadata, set configurations, and manage resources:

Analyze statement

• ANALYZE TABLE

Describe statements

• DESCRIBE DATABASE
• DESCRIBE FUNCTION
• DESCRIBE QUERY
• DESCRIBE TABLE

Show statements

• SHOW COLUMNS
• SHOW CREATE TABLE
• SHOW DATABASES
• SHOW FUNCTIONS
• SHOW GROUPS
• SHOW PARTITIONS
• SHOW TABLE
• SHOW TABLES
• SHOW TBLPROPERTIES
• SHOW USERS
• SHOW VIEWS

Configuration management

• RESET
• SET
• SET TIMEZONE

Security statements

You use security SQL statements to manage access to data:

• ALTER GROUP
• CREATE GROUP
• DENY
• DROP GROUP
• GRANT
• MSCK
• REVOKE
• SHOW GRANT

For details using these statements, see Data object privileges.