What does an Inner Join operation accomplish in SQL?

An Inner Join operation in SQL retrieves rows that have matching values in both tables being joined. This means that only the records that exist in both tables based on a specified condition will be included in the result set. For example, if you are working with two tables, one with customer information and another with orders, an Inner Join can be used to find only those customers who have placed an order, effectively filtering the data to show only relevant relationships based on matching keys.

This method is essential in relational databases where relationships between tables are defined through primary and foreign keys. By focusing on matched records, an Inner Join helps to maintain data integrity and relevance in the results, allowing users to analyze data based on the explicit connections established in the database schema.