Returns a row for every row in target_table that's updated, inserted, or deleted, in no particular order. $action can be specified in the output clause. $action is a column of type nvarchar(10) that returns one of three values for each row: 'INSERT', 'UPDATE', or 'DELETE', according to the action done on that row. The OUTPUT clause is the recommended way to query or count rows affected by a MERGE. For more information about the arguments and behavior of this clause, see OUTPUT Clause (Transact-SQL).