Cassandra Query Language AKA CQL syntax

NOTE:  CQL V2 reference is available here http://crlog.info/2011/09/17/cassandra-query-language-cql-v2-0-reference/

A more recent version of the CQL Specification V1.0.0 is available here http://crlog.info/2011/06/13/cassandra-query-language-cql-v1-0-0-updated/

A very nice break down of the up and coming CQL syntax was posted on the Cassandra dev list yesterday.
It breaks down the current state of the query language in easy to understand steps. I’ve copied it purely for the sake
of duplication and getting it out there as much as possible. While CQL is still very immature it is gaining momentum
and is likely to become the de-facto interface to Cassandra. Read more of this post