Which of the following could be an application of the coalesce function in a SQL query?

The coalesce function is primarily used in SQL to handle null values in a dataset. When a query encounters a null value in a specified column, coalesce allows you to substitute that null with a default value or the first non-null value among the provided arguments. This is particularly useful when you want to ensure that your query results do not contain nulls or when presenting data where a meaningful value is necessary for interpretation.

In this context, an application of the coalesce function would be in situations where you want to display user-friendly output in reports or dashboards. For instance, instead of showing a null where a customer's middle name is absent, you might use coalesce to display a placeholder like "N/A" or an empty string. This functionality enhances the clarity of the data presented to users.

In contrast, retrieving all records from a table, finding the average of numeric values, and sorting data in ascending order do not specifically utilize the coalesce function as part of their processes. These actions serve different purposes in SQL queries and do not involve addressing null values in the same manner as coalesce does.