SQL language reference

This is a SQL command reference for Databricks SQL and Databricks Runtime.

For information about using SQL with Delta Live Tables, see Delta Live Tables SQL language reference.

Note

Databricks SQL is not available in Azure China regions.

“Applies to” label

The SQL reference encompasses both Databricks SQL and Databricks Runtime. Near the top of each article is a label that indicates which products and versions are supported for that article.

For example, this article applies to all versions for both Databricks SQL and Databricks Runtime:

Applies to: Databricks SQL Databricks Runtime

In this example, this article applies to all version of Databricks SQL and Databricks Runtime versions 11.1 and above:

Applies to: Databricks SQL Databricks Runtime 11.1 and above

In this example, this article just applies to Databricks SQL and is not supported in Databricks Runtime:

Applies to: Databricks SQL

In some cases, an article mostly applies to a product, but certain parameters within an article are only supported by one product or specific versions of a product. In this case, the Applies to label is inserted into the appropriate parameter in the body of the article. For example:

The top of an article might state: Applies to: Databricks SQL Databricks Runtime

One specific parameter within the article might indicate Applies to: Databricks SQL Databricks Runtime 11.1 and above. This means that most of the document is supported by all versions of both Databricks SQL and Databricks Runtime, and that specific parameter is supported by all versions of Databricks SQL and only Databricks Runtime versions 11.1 and above.

Another specific parameter within the article might indicate Applies to: Databricks Runtime 11.1 and above. This means that most of the document is supported by all versions of Databricks SQL and Databricks Runtime, but that specific parameter is not supported by Databricks SQL and is only supported in Databricks Runtime versions 11.1 and above.

General reference

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

• How to read a syntax diagram
• Configuration parameters
• Data types and literals
• Functions
• SQL data type rules
• Datetime patterns
• H3 geospatial functions
• Lambda functions
• Window functions
• Identifiers
• Names
• Null semantics
• Expressions
• Name resolution
• JSON path expressions
• Partitions
• ANSI compliance
• Apache Hive compatibility
• Principals
• Privileges and securable objects in Unity Catalog
• Privileges and securable objects in the Hive metastore
• External locations
• External tables
• Storage credentials
• Delta Sharing
• Information schema
• Reserved words

DDL statements

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

• ALTER CATALOG
• ALTER CREDENTIAL
• ALTER DATABASE
• ALTER LOCATION
• ALTER PROVIDER
• ALTER RECIPIENT
• ALTER TABLE
• ALTER SCHEMA
• ALTER SHARE
• ALTER VIEW
• COMMENT ON
• CREATE BLOOMFILTER INDEX
• CREATE CATALOG
• CREATE DATABASE
• CREATE FUNCTION (SQL)
• CREATE FUNCTION (External)
• CREATE LOCATION
• CREATE RECIPIENT
• CREATE SCHEMA
• CREATE SHARE
• CREATE TABLE
• CREATE VIEW
• DROP BLOOMFILTER INDEX
• DROP CATALOG
• DROP DATABASE
• DROP CREDENTIAL
• DROP FUNCTION
• DROP LOCATION
• DROP PROVIDER
• DROP RECIPIENT
• DROP SCHEMA
• DROP SHARE
• DROP TABLE
• DROP VIEW
• MSCK REPAIR TABLE
• SYNC
• TRUNCATE TABLE

DML statements

You use data manipulation statements to add, change, or delete data from a Delta Lake table:

• COPY INTO
• DELETE FROM
• INSERT INTO
• INSERT OVERWRITE DIRECTORY
• INSERT OVERWRITE DIRECTORY with Hive format
• LOAD DATA
• 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 the 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
• REORG TABLE
• RESTORE
• VACUUM

For details on using Delta Lake statements, see What is Delta Lake?.

Auxiliary statements

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

• Analyze statement
• Apache Spark Cache statements
• Describe statements
• Show statements
• Configuration management
• Resource management

Analyze statement

• ANALYZE TABLE

Apache Spark Cache statements

Applies to: Databricks Runtime

• CACHE TABLE
• CLEAR CACHE
• REFRESH
• REFRESH FUNCTION
• REFRESH TABLE
• UNCACHE TABLE

Describe statements

• DESCRIBE CATALOG
• DESCRIBE CREDENTIAL
• DESCRIBE DATABASE
• DESCRIBE FUNCTION
• DESCRIBE LOCATION
• DESCRIBE PROVIDER
• DESCRIBE QUERY
• DESCRIBE RECIPIENT
• DESCRIBE SCHEMA
• DESCRIBE SHARE
• DESCRIBE TABLE

Show statements

• LIST
• SHOW ALL IN SHARE
• SHOW CATALOGS
• SHOW COLUMNS
• SHOW CREATE TABLE
• SHOW CREDENTIALS
• SHOW DATABASES
• SHOW FUNCTIONS
• SHOW GROUPS
• SHOW LOCATIONS
• SHOW PARTITIONS
• SHOW PROVIDERS
• SHOW RECIPIENTS
• SHOW SCHEMAS
• SHOW SHARES
• SHOW SHARES IN PROVIDER
• SHOW TABLE
• SHOW TABLES
• SHOW TBLPROPERTIES
• SHOW USERS
• SHOW VIEWS

Configuration management

• RESET
• SET
• SET TIMEZONE
• USE CATALOG
• USE DATABASE
• USE SCHEMA

Resource management

Applies to: Databricks Runtime

• ADD ARCHIVE
• ADD FILE
• ADD JAR
• LIST ARCHIVE
• LIST FILE
• LIST JAR

Security statements

You use security SQL statements to manage access to data:

• ALTER GROUP
• CREATE GROUP
• DENY
• DROP GROUP
• GRANT
• GRANT SHARE
• REPAIR PRIVILEGES
• REVOKE
• REVOKE SHARE
• SHOW GRANTS
• SHOW GRANTS ON SHARE
• SHOW GRANTS TO RECIPIENT

For details using these statements, see Data object privileges.