Which of the following is a common purpose of using the coalesce function?

The coalesce function is widely used in programming and database management for returning the first non-null value from a list of arguments. This makes it particularly useful when dealing with data that may contain nulls, as it allows developers to provide fallback values or to streamline the handling of potentially missing information.

For example, if you have a scenario where you want to retrieve values from multiple columns but some columns may not contain data, using the coalesce function allows you to specify a series of columns or values, and it will return the first one that is not null, ensuring that you receive a valid output instead of a null result.

In contrast, summing multiple values or counting records involves different functions specific to those operations. Concatenating strings is also a distinct action that would utilize a different approach, focusing on joining text rather than handling nulls. Therefore, the context and utility of the coalesce function are specifically aligned with returning the first valid, non-null value from a set of potential options.