SQL syntax used in this manualSQL syntax is presented in modified BNF notation.
The meta-symbols of BNF are listed in the following table.
BNF meta-symbolsThis table lists the BNF meta-symbols used in SQL syntax examples and describes their meanings.SymbolMeaning|Or. Choose one of the items.[ ]Encloses optional items.*Flags items that you can repeat 0 or more times. Has a
special meaning in some SQL statements.{ }Groups required items so that they can be marked with the
symbol |. Has a special meaning in JDBC escape syntax (see
).( ) . , Other punctuation that is part of the syntax.
The following example shows how SQL syntax is presented:
CREATE [ UNIQUE ] INDEX indexName
ON tableName ( simpleColumnName [ , simpleColumnName ]* )