A command consists of one or more required command words, usually followed by one or more flags or parameters:

A flag is a command option that consists of a letter preceded by a hyphen (-). A flag may stand alone (-f), or be followed by a parameter (-fparameter). Generally, there is no space between a flag and parameter.

Flags are shown in lowercase unless they are required to be uppercase. Uppercase flags may need special input syntax if the host operating system is case-insensitive.

A parameter is a command line option that is not a flag. A parameter can be the name of a database, a table or other object, or a value that specifies a particular use for a command.

In general, you can enter command options in any order. A few commands, however, require options in a specific order.