// Teaches an AI agent the Dremio SQL dialect — unique syntax, Iceberg DML, reflections DDL, versioned queries, RBAC commands, and links to the full SQL reference docs.
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| name | Dremio SQL Reference |
| description | Teaches an AI agent the Dremio SQL dialect — unique syntax, Iceberg DML, reflections DDL, versioned queries, RBAC commands, and links to the full SQL reference docs. |
This skill equips you to write correct SQL for Dremio. Dremio uses a SQL dialect built on Apache Calcite with significant extensions for Apache Iceberg tables, versioned catalogs, reflections, RBAC, and PIPE ingestion. Many of these features have syntax that differs from standard ANSI SQL or other engines like Snowflake, BigQuery, or PostgreSQL.
Always read the linked documentation page for exact syntax before writing a query.
Things that catch agents off guard when writing SQL for Dremio:
| Feature | Dremio Syntax | Common Mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Table paths use dots | "my-catalog".schema.table | Forgetting double quotes around names with hyphens/special chars |
| Versioned queries | SELECT * FROM t AT BRANCH main | Using non-existent FOR SYSTEM_TIME instead of AT |
| Time travel | AT SNAPSHOT '...' or AT TIMESTAMP '...' | Using Snowflake-style BEFORE(TIMESTAMP => ...) |
| Iceberg DML | INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, MERGE on Iceberg tables | Trying DML on non-Iceberg sources |
| COPY INTO | COPY INTO table FROM '@source/path' | Incorrect path format or file format spec |
| Reflections | ALTER TABLE ... CREATE ... REFLECTION | Using non-existent CREATE REFLECTION command |
| UDFs | CREATE FUNCTION name(x INT) RETURNS INT RETURN SELECT x + 1 | Using AS $$ ... $$ syntax from PostgreSQL |
| Column masking | ALTER TABLE ... SET MASKING POLICY ... | Column-level security has unique Dremio syntax |
| Path quoting | Double quotes: "my-source"."my.schema"."table" | Using backticks (MySQL) or square brackets (SQL Server) |
-- Create an Iceberg table
CREATE TABLE catalog.schema.my_table (
id INT,
name VARCHAR,
created_at TIMESTAMP
) PARTITION BY (MONTH(created_at));
-- Create table from query
CREATE TABLE catalog.schema.summary AS
SELECT region, SUM(amount) AS total FROM sales GROUP BY region;
-- Create a view
CREATE VIEW space.my_view AS
SELECT * FROM catalog.schema.my_table WHERE active = true;
-- Alter table (add/drop columns, change partition)
ALTER TABLE catalog.schema.my_table ADD COLUMNS (email VARCHAR);
ALTER TABLE catalog.schema.my_table DROP COLUMN email;
-- Drop
DROP TABLE catalog.schema.my_table;
DROP VIEW space.my_view;
-- Insert
INSERT INTO catalog.schema.my_table VALUES (1, 'Alice', CURRENT_TIMESTAMP);
INSERT INTO catalog.schema.my_table SELECT * FROM staging_table;
-- Update
UPDATE catalog.schema.my_table SET name = 'Bob' WHERE id = 1;
-- Delete
DELETE FROM catalog.schema.my_table WHERE id = 1;
-- Merge (upsert)
MERGE INTO catalog.schema.target AS t
USING catalog.schema.source AS s
ON t.id = s.id
WHEN MATCHED THEN UPDATE SET t.name = s.name
WHEN NOT MATCHED THEN INSERT (id, name) VALUES (s.id, s.name);
-- Truncate
TRUNCATE TABLE catalog.schema.my_table;
-- Load from object storage into an Iceberg table
COPY INTO catalog.schema.my_table
FROM '@my_s3_source/data/files/'
FILE_FORMAT 'parquet';
-- CSV with options
COPY INTO catalog.schema.my_table
FROM '@my_s3_source/data/'
FILE_FORMAT 'csv'
(RECORD_DELIMITER '\n', FIELD_DELIMITER ',', SKIP_FIRST_LINE);
-- Compact small files (Iceberg)
OPTIMIZE TABLE catalog.schema.my_table;
-- Remove old snapshots and orphaned files
VACUUM TABLE catalog.schema.my_table EXPIRE SNAPSHOTS OLDER_THAN '2024-01-01 00:00:00';
-- Rollback to prior snapshot
ROLLBACK TABLE catalog.schema.my_table TO SNAPSHOT 'snapshot_id_here';
-- Analyze table statistics
ANALYZE TABLE catalog.schema.my_table COMPUTE STATISTICS;
-- Query at a specific branch
SELECT * FROM catalog.schema.my_table AT BRANCH main;
-- Query at a tag
SELECT * FROM catalog.schema.my_table AT TAG v1_release;
-- Query at a snapshot ID
SELECT * FROM catalog.schema.my_table AT SNAPSHOT '1234567890';
-- Time travel
SELECT * FROM catalog.schema.my_table AT TIMESTAMP '2024-06-15 12:00:00';
-- Create a raw reflection
ALTER TABLE catalog.schema.my_table
CREATE RAW REFLECTION my_raw_ref
USING DISPLAY (col1, col2, col3);
-- Create an aggregation reflection
ALTER TABLE catalog.schema.my_table
CREATE AGGREGATE REFLECTION my_agg_ref
USING DIMENSIONS (region) MEASURES (amount (SUM, COUNT));
-- Drop a reflection
ALTER TABLE catalog.schema.my_table DROP REFLECTION my_raw_ref;
-- Grant SELECT on a dataset
GRANT SELECT ON catalog.schema.my_table TO ROLE analysts;
-- Grant on a space/folder
GRANT ALL ON FOLDER "Analytics" TO ROLE data_engineers;
-- Revoke
REVOKE SELECT ON catalog.schema.my_table FROM ROLE analysts;
-- Create a role
CREATE ROLE data_viewers;
-- Grant role to user
GRANT ROLE data_viewers TO USER "john@example.com";
-- Create a scalar UDF
CREATE FUNCTION double_it(x INT)
RETURNS INT
RETURN SELECT x * 2;
-- Create a tabular UDF
CREATE FUNCTION recent_orders(days INT)
RETURNS TABLE(id INT, amount DOUBLE)
RETURN SELECT id, amount FROM orders
WHERE order_date > CURRENT_DATE - CAST(days AS INTERVAL DAY);
-- Drop
DROP FUNCTION double_it;
-- Create a row-access policy function
CREATE FUNCTION region_filter(region_col VARCHAR)
RETURNS BOOLEAN
RETURN SELECT region_col = QUERY_USER();
-- Apply row-access policy
ALTER TABLE catalog.schema.my_table
SET ROW ACCESS POLICY region_filter(region);
-- Create a masking policy function
CREATE FUNCTION mask_email(email_col VARCHAR)
RETURNS VARCHAR
RETURN SELECT CASE WHEN QUERY_USER() = 'admin' THEN email_col ELSE '***' END;
-- Apply masking policy
ALTER TABLE catalog.schema.my_table
SET COLUMN MASKING POLICY mask_email(email);
-- Create a pipe for continuous ingestion
CREATE PIPE my_pipe AS
COPY INTO catalog.schema.target
FROM '@my_s3_source/streaming/'
FILE_FORMAT 'json';
-- Manage pipes
ALTER PIPE my_pipe DEDUPE_LOOKBACK_PERIOD 7;
DESCRIBE PIPE my_pipe;
DROP PIPE my_pipe;
-- Set context (default schema)
USE catalog.schema;
-- Set query queue
SET QUEUE "high_priority";
-- Common table expressions
WITH recent AS (
SELECT * FROM orders WHERE order_date > '2024-01-01'
)
SELECT customer_id, SUM(amount) FROM recent GROUP BY customer_id;
-- Show table properties (Iceberg metadata)
SHOW TBLPROPERTIES catalog.schema.my_table;
When you need the exact syntax, parameters, or examples for a specific command or function, read the relevant page using your URL-reading tools.
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Data Types | https://docs.dremio.com/current/reference/sql/data-types/ |
| Reserved Words | https://docs.dremio.com/current/reference/sql/reserved-keywords |
| System Tables | https://docs.dremio.com/current/reference/sql/system-tables |
| Table Functions | https://docs.dremio.com/current/reference/sql/table-functions |
| Information Schema | https://docs.dremio.com/current/reference/sql/information-schema |
"my-catalog"."my.schema"COPY INTO is the preferred way to bulk-load files (Parquet, CSV, JSON) from object storage into Iceberg tables.OPTIMIZE compacts small files; VACUUM removes expired snapshots. Both are essential for Iceberg table maintenance.AT BRANCH, AT TAG, AT SNAPSHOT) only work with Nessie/Arctic catalogs.ALTER TABLE ... CREATE ... REFLECTION, not a standalone CREATE REFLECTION.QUERY_USER() is a special function that returns the current user — useful in row-access and masking policies.