SQL reference for SQL Analytics

This is a SQL command reference for Databricks SQL Analytics.

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
• MSCK 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.

Spark 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 (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• CLONE (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• CONVERT TO DELTA (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• COPY INTO (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• CREATE BLOOM FILTER INDEX (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• DELETE FROM (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• DESCRIBE HISTORY (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• DROP BLOOM FILTER INDEX (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• FSCK REPAIR TABLE (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• GENERATE (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• MERGE INTO (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• OPTIMIZE (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• UPDATE (Delta Lake on Databricks)
• 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 PARTITIONS
• SHOW TABLE EXTENDED
• SHOW TABLES
• SHOW TBLPROPERTIES
• SHOW VIEWS

Configuration management

• RESET
• SET
• SET TIME ZONE

Security statements

You use security SQL statements to manage access to data:

• DENY
• GRANT
• MSCK
• REVOKE
• SHOW GRANT

For details using these statements, see Data object privileges.