Throughout this book, these conventions describe the SQL syntax and code:
- Syntax diagrams, used to describe SQL syntax form, including options.
- Square braces in the text, used to represent options. The indicated parentheses are required when you specify options.
For example:
DECIMAL [(n[,m])] means the decimal data type can be defined optionally:
- without specifying the precision value n or scale value m specifying precision (n) only
- specifying both values (n and m)
- you cannot specify scale without first defining precision.
- CHARACTER [(n)] means that use of (n) is optional.
The values for n and m are integers in all cases.
- Japanese character code shorthand notation, used to represent unprintable Japanese characters.
Related Topics
For more information about:
- Syntax diagrams, see Syntax Diagram Conventions.
- Japanese characters, see Character Shorthand Notation Used in This Book.