SQL WHERE Clause
Previous
Next Chapter
The WHERE clause is used to filter records.
The SQL WHERE Clause
The WHERE clause is used to extract only those records that fulfill a specified
criterion.
SQL WHERE Syntax
SELECT column_name,column_name
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name operator value;
Demo Database
In this tutorial we will use the well-known Northwind sample database.
Below is a selection from the "Customers" table:
CustomerID
CustomerName
ContactName
Address
Alfreds Futterkiste
Maria Anders
Obere Str. 57
Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados
Ana Trujillo
Avda. de la Constitucin
Antonio Moreno Taquera
Antonio Moreno
Mataderos 2312
Around the Horn
Thomas Hardy
120 Hanover Sq.
Berglunds snabbkp
Christina Berglund
Berguvsvgen 8
WHERE Clause Example
The following SQL statement selects all the customers from the country
"Mexico", in the "Customers" table:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE Country='Mexico';
Try it yourself
Text Fields vs. Numeric Fields
SQL requires single quotes around text values (most database systems will
also allow double quotes).
However, numeric fields should not be enclosed in quotes:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerID=1;
Try it yourself
Operators in The WHERE Clause
The following operators can be used in the WHERE clause:
Operator
Description
Equal
<>
Not equal. Note: In some versions of SQL this operator may b
>
Greater than
<
Less than
>=
Greater than or equal
<=
Less than or equal
BETWEEN
Between an inclusive range
LIKE
Search for a pattern
IN
To specify multiple possible values for a column