What are DML and DDL statements

4 July 2026 priya

DML stands for Data Manipulation Statements. They update data values in table. Below are the most important DDL statements:-

SELECT – gets data from a database table
UPDATE – updates data in a table
DELETE – deletes data from a database table
INSERT INTO – inserts new data into a database table

DDL stands for Data definition Language. They change structure of the database objects like table, index etc. Most important DDL statements are as shown below:-

CREATE TABLE – creates a new table in the database.
ALTER TABLE – changes table structure in database.
DROP TABLE – deletes a table from database
CREATE INDEX – creates an index
DROP INDEX – deletes an index