are they basically the same thing? I read up they were integrated from different platforms for flexibility hence the similarity..
In any case I've ran a few queries and have gotten the same output my latest (this was actually from an article):
SELECT department_name, employee_id, employee_name
FROM departments d
cross APPLY (SELECT employee_id, employee_name
FROM employees1 e
where e.department_id = d.department_id)
ORDER BY 1, 2, 3;
SELECT department_name, employee_name
FROM departments d,
LATERAL (SELECT employee_name
FROM employees1 e
WHERE e.department_id = d.department_id)
with that being said here's the oradoc explanation:
http://docs.oracle.com/database/121/SQLRF/statements_10002.htm#SQLRF01702
cross_outer_apply_clause
This clause allows you to perform a variation of an ANSI CROSS JOIN or an ANSILEFT OUTER JOIN with left correlation support. You can specify atable_reference or collection_expression to the right of the APPLYkeyword. The table_reference can be a table, inline view, or TABLE collection expression. The collection_expression can be a subquery, a column, a function, or a collection constructor. Regardless of its form, it must return a collection value—that is, a value whose type is nested table or varray. Thetable_reference or collection_expression can reference columns of tables defined in the FROM clause to the left of the APPLY keyword. This is called left correlation.
LATERAL Specify LATERAL to designate subquery as a lateral inline view. Within a lateral inline view, you can specify tables that appear to the left of the lateral inline view in the FROM clause of a query. You can specify this left correlation anywhere within subquery (such as the SELECT, FROM, and WHERE clauses) and at any nesting level.
Is there something distinct that differentiates cross apply and lateral?