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:

• How to read a syntax diagram
• Data types and literals
• Data type precedence
• Datetime patterns
• Built-in functions
• Lambda functions
• Window functions
• Identifiers
• Names
• Null semantics
• Expressions

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 BLOOMFILTER INDEX
• CREATE DATABASE
• CREATE TABLE
• CREATE VIEW
• DROP BLOOMFILTER INDEX
• DROP DATABASE
• DROP TABLE
• DROP VIEW
• REPAIR TABLE
• TRUNCATE TABLE

DML statements

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

• COPY INTO
• DELETE FROM
• INSERT INTO
• INSERT OVERWRITE
• MERGE INTO
• UPDATE

Data retrieval statements

You use a query 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 the Query article. The related SQL statements SELECT and VALUES are also included in this section.

• Query
• SELECT
• VALUES

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

• EXPLAIN

Delta Lake statements

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

• CACHE SELECT
• CONVERT TO DELTA
• DESCRIBE HISTORY
• FSCK REPAIR TABLE
• GENERATE
• OPTIMIZE
• RESTORE
• 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
• USE DATABASE

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.