Adding comments to SQL statements in CLI

16 Oct 2023

When working with SQL statements in the Command Line Interface (CLI), it’s important to add comments to make your code more understandable and maintainable. Comments allow you to provide explanations or notes about specific parts of your SQL code, which can be helpful when collaborating with other developers or revisiting your code in the future.

Types of Comments in SQL

There are two common ways to add comments in SQL statements:

Single-line comments: Single-line comments start with two hyphens (--). Anything after the -- will be ignored by the SQL interpreter.
Multi-line comments: Multi-line comments are enclosed within /* and */. Any text between these symbols will be treated as a comment and will be ignored by the interpreter.

Examples of Adding Comments in SQL

Let’s look at a few examples of how to add comments to your SQL statements in the CLI:

Single-line Comment

-- This is a single-line comment
SELECT * FROM customers;

In the above example, the comment starts with -- and everything after that is considered a comment. The SQL interpreter will ignore it when executing the statement.

Multi-line Comment

/*
This is a multi-line comment.
It can span across multiple lines.
*/
SELECT * FROM orders;

In this example, the comment is enclosed within /* and */. Any text between these symbols will be completely ignored by the SQL interpreter.

Importance of Adding Comments

Adding comments to your SQL statements has several benefits:

Code readability: Comments provide additional context and make your code more readable and understandable for others who might be working on the same project.
Code maintenance: Comments act as reminders or notes about certain parts of the code, making it easier to maintain and update in the future.
Collaboration: When working in a team, comments help in communicating with other developers and understanding their intentions behind specific SQL statements.
Troubleshooting: Comments can be useful when troubleshooting or debugging an issue within a SQL statement, helping you pinpoint the problem more efficiently.

Conclusion

Adding comments to your SQL statements in the CLI is essential for code readability, maintenance, collaboration, and troubleshooting. By using single-line or multi-line comments, you can provide additional context and explanations for your SQL code, making it easier to understand, maintain, and work with in the long run.

#SQL #CLI