SQL BASICS
SQL SELECT Syntax
SELECT <columnlist>
FROM <tablename>
SQL WHERE Clause Syntax
<main-statement>
WHERE <conditions>
Each condition tests column(s) using comparison operator(s). The following basic
comparison operators are supported:
Operator Description
= Equal
<> Not Equal
> Greater Than
< Less Than
>= Greater Than Or Equal
<= Less Than Or Equal
The comparison may involve literal value(s) that are constants like:
10
'Minnesota'
-5006.3
Alphanumeric literals are enclosed in single quotes ('XXX').
SQL INSERT Syntax
INSERT INTO <table_name> ( <column_list> )
VALUES (<value_list>)
SQL UPDATE Syntax
UPDATE <table_name>
SET <column_name> = <column_value>
WHERE <where_conditions>
SQL DELETE Syntax
DELETE FROM <table_name>
WHERE <where_conditions>
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SQL ADMINISTRATION
SQL CREATE DATABASE Syntax
CREATE DATABASE <database_name>
SQL DROP DATABASE Syntax
DROP DATABASE <database_name>
SQL CREATE TABLE Syntax
CREATE TABLE <table_name> (
<column_name1> <datatype1> <constraint1>
<column_name2> <datatype2> <constraint2>
<constraint-list>
)
The number of characters that can make up SQL table names and column names varies by
DBMS. In many cases the limit is 30 characters. The leading character of the name must be
alphabetic - not a number or special character. The name of a new table can not duplicate the
name of an existing table and should not be the same as a SQL reserved word. The underscore
character can be used to improve readability. The same column name can not be repeated within
a table. List elements are seperated by commas.
Here are some example datatypes:
SQL Datatype Description
integer(size)
int(size)
Integers
smallint(size)
tinyint(size)
decimal(size,decimals)
Numbers with decimals
numeric(size,decimals)
char(size) Fixed length character string
varchar(size) Variable length character string
date A date in yyyymmdd format
SQL ALTER TABLE Syntax
ALTER TABLE <table_name>
ADD <column_name1> <datatype1> <constraint1>
ALTER TABLE <table_name>
ALTER COLUMN <column_name1> <datatype1> <constraint1>
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ALTER TABLE <table_name>
DROP COLUMN <column_name1> <datatype1>
SQL DROP TABLE Syntax
DROP <table_name> ( <column_list>
SQL CREATE INDEX Syntax
CREATE INDEX <index_type> <index_name> ON <table_name> (
<column_name1> <index_order>,
<column_name2> <index_order>,
)
CREATE UNIQUE INDEX <index_type> <index_name> ON <table_name> (
<column_name1> <index_order>,
<column_name2> <index_order>,
)
The number of characters that can make up SQL names for tables, columns and indexes varies
by DBMS. In many cases the limit is 30 characters. The leading character of the name must be
alphabetic - not a number or special character. The name of a new index can not duplicate the
name of an existing index for the same table and should not be the same as a SQL reserved
word. The underscore character can be used to improve readability. List elements are seperated
by commas.
SQL DROP INDEX Syntax
DROP INDEX <table_name>.<index_name>
SQL ADD FOREIGN KEY Syntax
ALTER TABLE <table_name>
ADD <constraint_name> FOREIGN KEY
(<column_name1> ,
<column_name2> )
REFERENCES <table_name>
(<column_name1> ,
<column_name2>)
The number of characters that can make up SQL names for tables, columns and foreign keys
varies by DBMS. In many cases the limit is 30 characters. The leading character of the name
must be alphabetic - not a number or special character. The name of a new foreign key can not
duplicate the name of an existing foreign key for the database and should not be the same as a
SQL reserved word. To make the foreign key unique it is common practice to include the table
and column name as part of the foreign key name. The underscore character can be used to
improve readability. List elements are seperated by commas.
SQL DROP FOREIGN KEY Syntax
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ALTER TABLE <table_name>
DROP FOREIGN KEY <foreignkey_name>
SQL CREATE VIEW Syntax
CREATE VIEW <view_name> (
<column_name1>,
<column_name2>
) AS
<sql_select_statement>
The number of characters that can make up SQL names for tables, columns and views varies by
DBMS. In many cases the limit is 30 characters. The leading character of the name must be
alphabetic - not a number or special character. The name of a new view can not duplicate the
name of an existing view or table and should not be the same as a SQL reserved word. The
underscore character can be used to improve readability. List elements are seperated by
commas.
SQL DROP VIEW Syntax
DROP VIEW <view_name>.<
SQL ADVANCED
SQL CONCAT Syntax
<value_1> + <value_2>
The means of achieving concatenation differs by database type. for example:
MySQL uses the CONCAT() function
Oracle uses the CONCAT() function and the || operator
SQL Server uses the + operator
SQL SUBSTRING Syntax
SELECT SUBSTRING(<column_name>, position, length)
FROM <table_name>
SQL TRIM Syntax
SELECT LTRIM(<value_1>)
SELECT RTRIM(<value_1>)
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SQL AND & OR Syntax
SELECT <column_list>
FROM <table_name>
WHERE <condition_1>
AND|OR <condition_2>
SQL IN Syntax
SELECT <column_list>
FROM <table_name>
WHERE <column_name IN (value_list)>
There must be one or more members of the value_list. Numeric and non-numeric values are
supported.
SQL BETWEEN Syntax
SELECT <column_list>
FROM <table_name>
WHERE <column_name> BETWEEN
<lower_value> AND <higher_value>
SQL LIKE Syntax
SELECT <column_list>
FROM <table_name>
WHERE <column_name> LIKE <like_condition>
The <like_condition> supports the following patterns:
'ABC%' - where a string begins with the letters 'ABC'
'%XYZ' - where a string ends with the 'XYZ'
'%TUV%' - where the string contais 'TUV' anywhere
SQL DISTINCT Syntax
SELECT DISTINCT <column_name>
FROM <table_name>
The word DISTINCT can be placed in front of a single column name or a number of column
names. When in front of multiple column names, a distinct combination is returned.
SQL GROUP BY Syntax
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SELECT <column_name1>, <column_name2> <aggregate_function>
FROM <table_name>
GROUP BY <column_name1>, <column_name2>
The GROUP BY clause must follow the FROM and WHERE clauses. The columns in a SELECT
clause must be either group by columns or aggregate function columns.
SQL Aggregate Functions Syntax
SELECT <column_name1>, <column_name2> <aggregate_function(s)>
FROM <table_name>
GROUP BY <column_name1>, <column_name2>
The SQL Aggregate Functions are functions that provide mathematical operations. The functions
include:
count() - counts a number of rows
sum() - compute sum
avg() - compute average
min() - compute minimum
max() - compute maximum
SQL HAVING Syntax
SELECT <column_name1>, <column_name2> <aggregate_function>
FROM <table_name>
GROUP BY <column_name1>, <column_name2>
HAVING <having_condition>
The <having_condition> may include Aggregate Function(s).
SQL ORDER BY Syntax
SELECT <column_name1>, <column_name2>
FROM <table_name>
ORDER BY <column_name1>[ASC|DESC], <column_name2>[ASC|DESC]
Multiple columns can be included in the ORDER BY clause. The direction of the sort is controlled
by:
ASC - ascending sequence
DESC - descending sequence
SQL JOIN Syntax
SELECT <column_name1>, <column_name2> <aggregate_function>
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FROM <table_name>
JOIN <table_name> ON <join_conditions>
SQL OUTER JOIN Syntax
SELECT <column_name1>, <column_name2> <aggregate_function>
FROM <table_name>
LEFT OUTER JOIN <table_name> ON <join_conditions>
