What is the name of the part between SELECT and FROM in a SQL query?

Question

I am trying to find the right description for the parts of a query:

1. What is the name of the part between SELECT and FROM? If I only had some columns then I would call it "column identifiers". But if there are any function or subqueries this would be quite a bit more. Is "SELECT clause" a valid description?
2. Same thing for the FROM part. If I have only one table I would simply call it "table". But if there is a more complicated structure maybe using joins, etc. what would be the correct naming?

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To make my questions more clear:

In Postgres I could use a JSON function, e.g. json_array_elements in both parts:

SELECT
 json_array_elements(my_json_column)
FROM
 my_table

or doing this

SELECT
 elem.*
FROM
 my_table,
 json_array_elements(my_json_column) AS elem

If I have to tell somebody that this function can be used within the SELECT clause or as part of the FROM clause which terms are more conventional?

Answer 1

It's usually called a "select list", which contains "select list items".

The FROM clause contains a list of table references.

This is not specific to Postgres, by the way.

So, with respect to your use case you might say that json_array_elements() can be used both as an expression in the select list and as a table reference.

• S-Man: OK, sounds legit. How would you call the same for the FROM clause? Maybe if you would have to say something like: "You can use the function inside the FROM clause as part of a join..." or something like that? (see part 2 of my question :) )
• user1822: @S-Man: I usually use "from list" for that
• Erwin Brandstetter: "FROM list" here, too.