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Querying Data With The SELECT Statement: Jon Flanders

The SELECT statement allows users to query data from database tables. It contains a SELECT list that specifies the columns to retrieve. A FROM clause defines the table being queried. The SELECT statement can use DISTINCT to return only unique values and constrain the number of results. It is a fundamental command for extracting data from databases.

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66 views14 pages

Querying Data With The SELECT Statement: Jon Flanders

The SELECT statement allows users to query data from database tables. It contains a SELECT list that specifies the columns to retrieve. A FROM clause defines the table being queried. The SELECT statement can use DISTINCT to return only unique values and constrain the number of results. It is a fundamental command for extracting data from databases.

Uploaded by

Enrik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Querying Data with the SELECT

Statement

Jon Flanders

@jonflanders www.jonflanders.com
You can think of a SELECT
statement as a question you
are asking the database.
Example Questions

Who are all my


Who are all my How many
contacts with a
contacts? contacts do I have?
first name of Jon?
A Simple Query With SELECT
SELECT CLAUSE

{
SELECT ‘Hello’,‘World’;

{
SELECT LIST
Most of the time it contains a list of columns
from a table you want to query.
The SELECT 
 Then, a FROM clause is required.
List After every column comes a comma.
Except: no comma after the last column.
SELECT <COLUMN_NAME>, <COLUMN_NAME> FROM <TABLE_NAME> ;

SELECT first_name, last_name FROM person ;


* This wildcard "SELECT list" character
pulls all the columns from a table

BAD PRACTICE!
On my screen, these are both not
centered, but are about 2/3 down the
slide. Also, font sizes are different on
either side.

FROM Clause Defines the table you want to query

Multiple-Table FROM Clauses covered later in this course!


Qualifying Column Name with Table Name

SELECT first_name, last_name FROM person ;

SELECT person.first_name, person.last_name FROM person ;

Good Practice
Aliasing the Table Name

SELECT person.first_name, person.last_name FROM person ;

SELECT p.first_name, p.last_name FROM person p ;

Best Practice
Ways to Constrain the Number of Results

WHERE CLAUSE DISTINCT Qualifier

The WHERE clause is covered in the next module!


NOT DISTINCT
first_name

Jon

Jon

Fritz
What are the first names of all the
people I know? Shannon

Jason

Jason

Brian
SELECT p.first_name FROM person p ;
Brian
DISTINCT
first_name

Jon

Fritz

Shannon
What are all unique first names of
the people I know? Jason

Brian

SELECT DISTINCT p.first_name FROM person p ;


Query data with the SELECT command
Summary
The SELECT list defines the columns
The FROM clause defines the table
DISTINCT constrains results to unique
values

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