What does the SELECT statement do in SQL?

The SELECT statement in SQL is used specifically to retrieve data from a database. It allows users to specify exactly which columns of data to retrieve from one or more tables, as well as any conditions or filtering criteria. This retrieval can involve simple queries that return entire tables or more complex queries that aggregate data, perform calculations, or join multiple tables together.

The power of the SELECT statement lies in its flexibility; it can return data in various forms, such as raw data from a single table or aggregated results based on specific conditions. This makes it a fundamental aspect of SQL, as data retrieval is one of the primary operations performed in any database management system.

In contrast, the other options involve different types of operations: updating modifies existing data, deleting removes data, and inserting adds new data to a database. These are all important aspects of database manipulation but are distinct from the retrieval function provided by the SELECT statement.