DDL vs DML

Data Definition Language (DDL) statements are used to define the database structure or schema. 

Some examples:

 1. CREATE - to create objects in the database 

 2. ALTER - alters the structure of the database 

 3. DROP - delete objects from the database 

 4. TRUNCATE - remove all records from a table, including all spaces allocated for the records are removed 

 5. COMMENT - add comments to the data dictionary 

 6. RENAME - rename an object 

Data Manipulation Language (DML) statements are used for managing data within schema objects. Some examples: 

1. SELECT - retrieve data from the a database 

 2. INSERT - insert data into a table or UPDATE - updates existing data within a table 

 3. DELETE - deletes all records from a table, the space for the records remain 

 4. MERGE - UPSERT operation (insert or update) 

 5. CALL - call a PL/SQL or Java subprogram 

 6. EXPLAIN PLAN - explain access path to data 

 7. LOCK TABLE - control concurrency