In SQL Server style relational databases, the system function @@IDENTITY returns the last identity value generated in the current session. After which Data Manipulation Language DML command do you typically use @@IDENTITY to retrieve the newly generated identity value?

Introduction / Context:
Many relational databases, including SQL Server, support identity columns that automatically generate sequential numeric values for each inserted row. The system function @@IDENTITY is used in SQL Server to retrieve the most recently generated identity value in the current session. Understanding when and why to use @@IDENTITY is important when inserting rows into tables that have identity columns, especially when you need to use the new key value immediately afterward.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The environment behaves like SQL Server with support for identity columns.
• @@IDENTITY returns the last identity value generated in the current session.
• We are concerned specifically with Data Manipulation Language DML commands.
• The options mention INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, COMMIT, and SELECT.
• We want the DML operation that normally causes a new identity value to be generated.

Concept / Approach:
Identity values are generated when new rows are inserted into a table that has an identity column. The INSERT statement is the standard DML command that creates rows and triggers the assignment of new identity values. Although you can sometimes modify identity values with special settings, typical use of @@IDENTITY is immediately after an INSERT to capture the newly created identity. UPDATE and DELETE operations do not normally generate new identity values, and COMMIT is a transaction control command rather than a DML command.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that identity columns are automatically incremented when new rows are inserted. Step 2: Recognise that the INSERT command is the primary DML operation that adds new rows to a table. Step 3: Connect the idea that after an INSERT, the system has generated a new identity value for the row. Step 4: Understand that @@IDENTITY is then used to read that newly generated identity value within the same session. Step 5: Conclude that @@IDENTITY is typically used in conjunction with INSERT, not UPDATE, DELETE, COMMIT, or SELECT.

Verification / Alternative check:
Documentation for SQL Server commonly shows examples such as inserting a row into a table with an identity column, then immediately executing a SELECT that reads @@IDENTITY or the safer SCOPE_IDENTITY function. These examples consistently pair identity retrieval with INSERT operations. There are almost no real world scenarios where you would use @@IDENTITY directly after UPDATE or DELETE and expect a new identity value.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B is incorrect because an UPDATE modifies existing rows and does not typically generate a new identity value. Option C is wrong since DELETE removes rows but does not create new ones. Option D refers to COMMIT, which is a transaction control command used to make changes permanent, not a DML operation that generates identity values. Option E is incorrect because SELECT simply reads data and has no impact on identity values; any identity was generated earlier during an INSERT.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to confuse @@IDENTITY with identity values in other scopes or to forget that identity retrieval must occur after the INSERT that created the row. Another pitfall is using @@IDENTITY instead of SCOPE_IDENTITY in environments with triggers, where @@IDENTITY might return a value from a trigger rather than from the base table. For exam questions that keep things simple, however, the key link is that INSERT generates the identity and @@IDENTITY retrieves it.

Final Answer:
The appropriate DML command to use with @@IDENTITY is the INSERT statement that adds a new row into a table that has an identity column..