Syntax Conventions Used in this Manual

The following are the format conventions used in this manual. These format characters explain usage; they are not specified when coding an SQL program. For a table of the symbols that are used in SQL coding, refer to the SQL Symbols table.

Symbol	Meaning
[ nnnn ]	An argument enclosed in square brackets is optional. Specify none or one.
{ nnnn }	An argument enclosed in curly braces is optional, and may be repeated multiple times. Specify none, one, or more than one. Curly braces are also used as literal characters, for example in ODBC scalar functions with the form: {fn FUNCTION(arg)}
mmmm \| nnnn	A vertical bar means OR. Specify either one or the other.
. . .	An ellipsis indicates an unspecified portion of a complete SQL statement. It can also be used to specify repetition: var1,var2,...
::=	Is equivalent to.

If an argument appears as an "item-list", then the argument can consist of one or more of the particular items delimited by a particular character. A cross-reference from an item-list points to the page for item itself.

If an argument appears as an "item-commalist", then the argument can consist of one or more of the particular items delimited by a comma. A cross-reference from an item-commalist points to the page for item itself.

When an item is listed in bracketed parentheses, such as [(] identifier [)] then the pair of parentheses (as a unit) is optional.