To answer this question, we need to understand the concept of an IF-THEN-ELSE statement and compare it to the given functions.
An IF-THEN-ELSE statement is a control structure used in programming to make decisions based on certain conditions. It allows the program to execute different blocks of code depending on whether a specified condition is true or false.
Let's go through each option to determine which one is most similar in function to an IF-THEN-ELSE statement:
Option A) SQRT - This function calculates the square root of a given number. It does not involve any decision-making or conditional branching, so it is not similar to an IF-THEN-ELSE statement.
Option B) DECODE - This function is used to perform conditional branching within a SQL statement. It allows you to specify multiple conditions and their corresponding values. If the condition is true, it returns the specified value; otherwise, it returns a default value. This function closely resembles the functionality of an IF-THEN-ELSE statement, making it the correct answer.
Option C) NEW_TIME - This function is used to convert the time in one time zone to the time in another time zone. It does not involve any decision-making or conditional branching, so it is not similar to an IF-THEN-ELSE statement.
Option D) ROWIDTOCHAR - This function converts a ROWID value to a character string. It does not involve any decision-making or conditional branching, so it is not similar to an IF-THEN-ELSE statement.
Therefore, the correct answer is Option B) DECODE. This function can best be categorized as similar in function to an IF-THEN-ELSE statement because it allows for conditional branching within a SQL statement.