Question

In an SQL query, which built-in function is used to total numeric columns?

a) AVG
b) COUNT
c) MAX
d) MEAN
e) SUM

Answer 1

The built-in SQL function to total numeric columns is 'SUM'. It calculates the total sum of the values in a numeric column, different from other functions like 'AVG', 'COUNT', and 'MAX' which have distinct purposes.

Step-by-step explanation:

In an SQL query, the built-in function used to total numeric columns is SUM. This function takes the name of a numeric column as an argument and returns the total sum of all the values in that column. Other functions like AVG, COUNT, and MAX serve different purposes: AVG calculates the average value, COUNT gives the number of rows that match a specified condition, and MAX finds the highest value in a column. While 'MEAN' is a statistical term equivalent to average, it's not a built-in SQL function; AVG is used instead for calculating the mean.