A proper term for arguments of GROUP BY and aggregate functions, like SUM()

Question

The answer I couldn't find anywhere, what is a term for columns listed in GROUP BY clause? And in opposite, what is a name for columns to which aggregate functions applied?

in group by you can have either keys (columns) or aggregate functions so it means group by expression meaning it can involve both — Himanshu, Nov 16 '18 at 14:18
Just for reference, there doesn't seem to be any more specific term used in common [relational algebra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_algebra#Aggregation) either. So, they're "columns" :-) — Damien_The_Unbeliever, Nov 16 '18 at 14:21

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 16 '18 at 14:16

I would refer to them as "group by keys" or aggregation keys.

I find that documentation in different databases is not consistent, so there might be some flexibility. "group by element" or "group by expression" both convey the idea, unambiguously.

There is not a special name for the arguments of aggregation functions. These can be any expressions, including "group by keys".

A proper term for arguments of GROUP BY and aggregate functions, like SUM()

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