Final answer:
The statement that SQL Server assumes INNER JOIN when INNER is omitted is true. An INNER JOIN only retrieves matching rows from the tables being joined, and the absence of the INNER keyword does not affect the operation. Both syntaxes with and without the INNER keyword will accomplish the same inner join in SQL Server.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is true. In SQL Server, if the INNER keyword is omitted from the join clause of a query, the server defaults to performing an inner join. An inner join retrieves only the rows that have matching values in both tables being joined.
For example, if you have two tables, Orders and Customers, and you want to join them based on a customer ID, you could write the join clause with or without the INNER keyword:
- WITH INNER: SELECT * FROM Orders INNER JOIN Customers ON Orders.CustomerID = Customers.CustomerID;
- WITHOUT INNER: SELECT * FROM Orders JOIN Customers ON Orders.CustomerID = Customers.CustomerID;
Both queries will produce the same result as SQL Server interprets the JOIN without the INNER keyword as an inner join.