SQL applies predicates in the _______ clause after groups have been formed, so aggregate functions may be used.

The correct answer is HAVING.

Explanation:

In SQL, the HAVING clause is used to filter records that work on aggregated data. It is applied after groups have been formed by the GROUP BY clause, allowing you to filter groups based on the results of aggregate functions such as COUNT, SUM, AVG, MAX, and MIN. This is different from the WHERE clause, which filters individual records before any groupings are made. Hence, the complete statement would be: SQL applies predicates in the HAVING clause after groups have been formed, so aggregate functions may be used.