Q.Fill in the blank : _________ statement of SQL is used to insert new records in a table.

The key idea here is understanding the purpose of different SQL Data Manipulation Language (DML) and Data Definition Language (DDL) commands.

• ALTER is a DDL command used to modify the structure of an existing table.
• UPDATE is a DML command used to modify existing records in a table.
• INSERT is a DML command specifically designed to add new rows (records) into a table. …

The question asks about the specific SQL statement used to add new records into a table. To understand this, we need to recall the fundamental categories of SQL commands: Data Definition Language (DDL) and Data Manipulation Language (DML).

DDL commands are used to define and manage the database schema or structure. Think of them as commands that build or modify the "blueprint" of your database, like creating tables, altering their structure, or dropping them entirely.

DML commands, on the other hand, are used to manage the data within those defined structures. These are the commands you use to interact with the actual information stored in your tables—adding new data, changing existing data, or removing data.

The task of adding new records clearly falls under manipulating the data, not defining the structure. Therefore, we are looking for a DML command.

1. Understand the Goal: The objective is to add new rows or records to an existing table. This means we are dealing with the content of the table, not its structure.

2. Evaluate Option (a) ALTER:

   The ALTER statement is a DDL command. It is used to modify the structure of an existing database object, such as adding a new column to a table, dropping an existing column, or changing the data type of a column. It does not insert new data rows.

   For example: ALTER TABLE Employees ADD COLUMN Email VARCHAR(100);

3. Evaluate Option (b) UPDATE:

   The UPDATE statement is a DML command. It is used to modify existing records in a table. If you want to change the value in one or more columns for rows that already exist, you use UPDATE. It does not create new rows.

   For example: UPDATE Employees SET Salary = 60000 WHERE EmployeeID = 101;

   Watch out

   A common mistake is to confuse UPDATE with INSERT. Remember, UPDATE changes data in existing rows, while INSERT adds new rows.

4. Evaluate Option (c) INSERT: …