SQL Server: basic functions (part 6) - Coalesce

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Have you ever thought "what is COALESCE afterall?". The first time I encountered it, I thought it was a terrible name for a function. But, considering that a normal dictionary will define "coalesce" as "Come together and form one mass or whole" or "Combine (elements) in a mass or whole", that might shed a little light and help us understand what's behind the function.