Symbols are tools that clarify a script's meaning, perform basic math operations, and help retrieve data when you cannot recall the exact values you want a query to retrieve. The symbols listed below can be used in Field Derivation Formulas as well as in a DQL script.

There are four groups of DQL symbols as specified below:

• Punctuation symbols are used to clarify, separate, and conclude various operations specified in a script. The double dash symbol precedes comments used to annotate a script.

• Math symbols are used to perform arithmetic operations on numeric values.

• Wild card symbols are used to specify unknown characters in selection criteria text values.

*(asterisk) represents any number of characters

? (question mark) represents a single character

~ (tilde) represents a sound pattern

• Comparison symbols are used to compare one value to another. The assignment operator symbol is used to assign a value to a field or variable.

For a full explanation of any DQL symbol, see its corresponding entry in this section. The symbols are presented first in the lexicon, beginning on the ne