SQL Keywords

Keyword Description

ADD Adds a column in an existing table

ADD CONSTRAINT Adds a constraint after a table is already created

ALL Returns true if all of the subquery values meet the condition

ALTER Adds, deletes, or modifies columns in a table, or changes the data type of
a column in a table

ALTER COLUMN Changes the data type of a column in a table

ALTER TABLE Adds, deletes, or modifies columns in a table

AND Only includes rows where both conditions is true

ANY Returns true if any of the subquery values meet the condition

AS Renames a column or table with an alias

ASC Sorts the result set in ascending order

BACKUP DATABASE Creates a back up of an existing database

BETWEEN Selects values within a given range

CASE Creates different outputs based on conditions

CHECK A constraint that limits the value that can be placed in a column

COLUMN Changes the data type of a column or deletes a column in a table

CONSTRAINT Adds or deletes a constraint

CREATE Creates a database, index, view, table, or procedure

CREATE DATABASE Creates a new SQL database

CREATE INDEX Creates an index on a table (allows duplicate values)

CREATE OR REPLACE Updates a view

VIEW

CREATE TABLE Creates a new table in the database

CREATE PROCEDURE Creates a stored procedure

CREATE UNIQUE INDEX Creates a unique index on a table (no duplicate values)

CREATE VIEW Creates a view based on the result set of a SELECT statement

DATABASE Creates or deletes an SQL database

DEFAULT A constraint that provides a default value for a column

DELETE Deletes rows from a table

DESC Sorts the result set in descending order

DISTINCT Selects only distinct (different) values

DROP Deletes a column, constraint, database, index, table, or view

DROP COLUMN Deletes a column in a table

DROP CONSTRAINT Deletes a UNIQUE, PRIMARY KEY, FOREIGN KEY, or CHECK

constraint

DROP DATABASE Deletes an existing SQL database

DROP DEFAULT Deletes a DEFAULT constraint

DROP INDEX Deletes an index in a table

DROP TABLE Deletes an existing table in the database

DROP VIEW Deletes a view

EXEC Executes a stored procedure

EXISTS Tests for the existence of any record in a subquery

FOREIGN KEY A constraint that is a key used to link two tables together

FROM Specifies which table to select or delete data from

FULL OUTER JOIN Returns all rows when there is a match in either left table or right table

GROUP BY Groups the result set (used with aggregate functions: COUNT, MAX,
MIN, SUM, AVG)

HAVING Used instead of WHERE with aggregate functions

IN Allows you to specify multiple values in a WHERE clause

INDEX Creates or deletes an index in a table

INNER JOIN Returns rows that have matching values in both tables

INSERT INTO Inserts new rows in a table

INSERT INTO SELECT Copies data from one table into another table

IS NULL Tests for empty values

IS NOT NULL Tests for non-empty values

JOIN Joins tables

LEFT JOIN Returns all rows from the left table, and the matching rows from the right
table

LIKE Searches for a specified pattern in a column

LIMIT Specifies the number of records to return in the result set

NOT Only includes rows where a condition is not true

NOT NULL A constraint that enforces a column to not accept NULL values

OR Includes rows where either condition is true

ORDER BY Sorts the result set in ascending or descending order

OUTER JOIN Returns all rows when there is a match in either left table or right table

PRIMARY KEY A constraint that uniquely identifies each record in a database table

PROCEDURE A stored procedure

RIGHT JOIN Returns all rows from the right table, and the matching rows from the left
table

ROWNUM Specifies the number of records to return in the result set

SELECT Selects data from a database

SELECT DISTINCT Selects only distinct (different) values

SELECT INTO Copies data from one table into a new table

SELECT TOP Specifies the number of records to return in the result set
SET Specifies which columns and values that should be updated in a table

TABLE Creates a table, or adds, deletes, or modifies columns in a table, or deletes

a table or data inside a table

TOP Specifies the number of records to return in the result set

TRUNCATE TABLE Deletes the data inside a table, but not the table itself

UNION Combines the result set of two or more SELECT statements (only distinct
values)

UNION ALL Combines the result set of two or more SELECT statements (allows
duplicate values)

UNIQUE A constraint that ensures that all values in a column are unique

UPDATE Updates existing rows in a table

VALUES Specifies the values of an INSERT INTO statement

VIEW Creates, updates, or deletes a view

WHERE Filters a result set to include only records that fulfill a specified condition