Can you form legal statement in MySQL without using semicolon?

Question

I am starting to learn SQL using MySQL and I got my hands on book "SQL for MySQL Developers: A Comprehensive Tutorial and Reference".

Why the author doesn't place semicolons ; at the end of the statements?

Here is an example pulled right from the book (p.45) CREATE DATABASE TENNIS. Of course, MySQL shell responds by ->.

even a one line doesn't work I think, at least quering via console i usually forget the semicolon and the query doens't go, but in php yes as far as I can remember — lelloman, Feb 08 '13 at 02:03
give an example please? The only situation I can see this is within stored procedures. — Sebas, Feb 08 '13 at 02:06
Hmm, this question appears to be related to the *command line interface* and limitations of when it will/will not send a request. The `;` is *not required* on the server for a single command, but command-line clients typically only send a command after a `;` - this makes sense from a CLI where there is no "run command" (e.g. F5) action, aside from "pressing enter", as SQL commands can naturally continue onto multiple lines. — , Feb 08 '13 at 02:10
You might want to read [MySQL - 3.2. Entering Queries](http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/entering-queries.html) and [this SO question](http://stackoverflow.com/q/710683/913097). — inhan, Feb 08 '13 at 02:17

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 08 '13 at 02:14

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Many flavors and applications of SQL require a semi-colon at the end. A few do not.

answered Feb 08 '13 at 02:14

Smandoli

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This is a duplicate of http://stackoverflow.com/questions/710683/when-should-i-use-semicolons-in-sql-server – Smandoli Feb 08 '13 at 02:16
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I thought the same but that question is about the SQL Server whereas this one is particularly about MySQL so I posted a link to MySQL official documentation instead in the comments. – inhan Feb 08 '13 at 02:20

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