Which SQL expression retrieves the first two characters of the product_name column and assigns them to a new column named product_ID?

• A. SUBSTR(product_name, 1, 2) AS product_ID
• B. LEFT(product_name, 2) AS product_ID
• C. SUBSTR(product_name, 2, 2) AS product_ID
• D. MID(product_name, 1, 2) AS product_ID

Answer: (A)

To get the first two characters from a string, you use a substring function that takes the string, a starting position, and the number of characters to return. Starting at position 1 and taking 2 characters yields the leftmost two characters of product_name, and aliasing that result as product_ID creates the new column you want. This pattern—SUBSTR(product_name, 1, 2) AS product_ID—directly implements “first two characters.” If you started at position 2, you’d get characters two and three, not the first two. Variants like MID are not universal across all SQL dialects, and LEFT depends on the specific database’s function set, so the explicit SUBSTR with starting position 1 and length 2 is the reliable choice.