What is OpenQuery in SQl server

Answer 1

Executes the specified pass-through query on the specified linked server. This server is an OLE DB data source. OPENQUERY can be referenced in the FROM clause of a query as if it were a table name. OPENQUERY can also be referenced as the target table of an INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE statement. This is subject to the capabilities of the OLE DB provider. Although the query may return multiple result sets, OPENQUERY returns only the first one.

Answer 2

The OPENQUERY command is used to initiate an ad-hoc distributed query using a linked-server. It is initiated by specifying OPENQUERY as the table name in the from clause. Essentially, it opens a linked server, then executes a query as if executing from that server.