Understanding the SQL COUNT() Function to Count Records in a Table

The Structured Query Language (SQL) provides a number of powerful functions to execute complex database operations, and one such function is COUNT().

The SQL statement used to count the number of records in a table is the COUNT() function, usually combined with the SELECT statement. In the context of the question presented, to return the number of records in the 'Employees' table, the correct SQL statement would be SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Employees.

The COUNT() function has several use cases with different types of parameters:

1. COUNT(*): This counts the number of rows in a table, including NULL values.
2. COUNT(column): This counts the number of non-NULL values in a specific column.
3. COUNT(DISTINCT column): This counts the number of distinct non-NULL values in a specific column.

For example, if we want to count the total number of employees in the 'Employees' table, we can use SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Employees. This statement will include all records, regardless of whether some columns contain NULL values.

However, if we only want to count the number of employees who have a non-NULL value in a specific column, such as 'email', we would use SELECT COUNT(email) FROM Employees.

Moreover, if we are only interested in the number of employees who have distinct email addresses, we would use SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT email) FROM Employees.

Through these examples, it's clear that the COUNT() function offers flexibility for various types of counting in SQL. By understanding this function and how to use it effectively in your SQL statements, you can develop more efficient and powerful database queries. Remember, best practice in SQL is to always be specific with your statements to ensure you are pulling the accurate, necessary data – and this is certainly true when using the COUNT() function.