by Ray Rankins
IN THIS CHAPTER
T-SQL and ANSI/ISO SQL
What's New for T-SQL in SQL Server 2000
SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE
SQL Server Functions
Programming Constructs
Cursors
The intent of this chapter is to provide an overview of the elements of the Transact-SQL (T-SQL) language. The focus is primarily on the Data Manipulation Language (DML) com-mands and the programming constructs built into T-SQL. The various Data Definition Language (DDL) commands are covered in other chapters, primarily Chapters 11?14 and 27?30. This chapter is not intended as a learning tool for the general SQL language. Several such books are on the market, from beginning to advanced levels; some describe the standard ANSI SQL syntax and some specialize in T-SQL. Look for the Sams Teach Yourself line of books on SQL and Transact-SQL, SQL Unleashed, and Microsoft SQL Server Programming Unleashed from Sams Publishing for more specific information on each of these.