SQL: Querying Fundamentals

Name: SQL: Querying Fundamentals
Author: Eric Grose

Gain an understanding of basic SQL syntax and statements

Preview the first lesson free — get full access to all 6 lessons.

Course: On-Demand

Hello, my name is Eric, and in these lessons, you'll learn the fundamentals of an SQL query. In this lesson, we'll cover the basic syntax of an SQL query. SQL is a programming language used to manage and manipulate data stored in relational databases. It is a powerful tool that allows the user to extract information from databases and perform a wide range of operations on that data. SQL statements allow you to interact with databases, and the syntax of these statements is designed to be easy to understand and use. Now, there are levels of difficulty with SQL queries, but there are only four different aspects of a basic SQL query. The select statement where you signify which column or columns you want to return. The from clause where you list the table you want these records to come from. The where clause that allows you to put a filter on which rows will be returned, and the order by keyword which will sort or arrange your data based on which column you specify. Let's break down each aspect of a basic SQL query. The select statement is the most basic statement in SQL and is used to retrieve data from a database by specifying which column or columns you want to retrieve. The basic syntax of an SQL statement is the select keyword, and you list the columns you want to return. We can utilize the star symbol or use a method which is known as select star to provide us a shortcut to retrieve all columns from a particular table. Also, if you'd like to return only the distinct values that are unique and not duplicated, you can utilize the select distinct method. Next, we have the from clause which is used to tell our query which data table we'd like to analyze. There's little customization with the from clause, but it makes it easy to pull in data tables with our SQL queries. The where clause is used to filter data based on certain conditions within the data. This clause will scan through our data and only return the rows that meet a specific criteria. You can think of this clause like a filter and accept. The basic syntax of a where clause is, select which column, columns, or all columns you want, or a particular table, and the where clause with a condition oftentimes an equals. The order by keyword is used to sort results of the select statement. Please note that we don't have to use a where clause when implementing an order by keyword. It can be used to sort results in ascending or descending order based on one or more columns. By default, the order by keyword will sort values in ascending order based on the column that you specify. To sort values in descending order, we need to add the descending keyword to the NFR order by keyword. Thanks for watching. Stay tuned for the next lesson where we review the select statement in detail.

Beginner Provider : Eric Grose 6 Lessons · 36m in English

Course Description

These lessons take a step-by-step approach to teach you how to write SQL queries by gradually building on the foundational concepts of the SELECT statement, FROM statement, WHERE statement, ORDER BY statement, and operators.

The first concept we’ll cover is the SELECT statement, which is the most fundamental statement in SQL. This statement is used to select specific columns of data from a table, and you will learn how to use the SELECT statement to retrieve the data they need for their analysis. The next concept that will be covered is the FROM statement, which is used to specify which data table to retrieve data from. Then we’ll cover how to add conditional formatting to their queries using the WHERE statement, and you’ll learn how to use the ORDER BY statement to sort data into the desired format. Lastly, we’ll cover how to use operators in SQL to perform math for detailed analysis.

What You'll Learn

Write SQL queries by building on foundational SELECT statement concepts
Use the SELECT statement to retrieve specific columns of data from a table
Incorporate the FROM statement to specify which data table to retrieve data from
Apply conditions to your data analysis using the WHERE statement
Sort data into the desired format using the ORDER BY statement
Use operators in SQL to perform math for detailed analysis

Key Takeaways

The SELECT statement is the most fundamental statement in SQL and is used to select specific columns of data from a table.
The FROM statement specifies which data table to retrieve data from.
The WHERE statement adds conditional formatting to queries, applying conditions to your data analysis.
The ORDER BY statement sorts data into the desired format.
Operators in SQL are used to perform math for detailed analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this course cover?

It takes a step-by-step approach to teaching how to write SQL queries by gradually building on the foundational concepts of the SELECT statement, FROM statement, WHERE statement, ORDER BY statement, and operators.

What skills will I gain from this course?

You will gain skills in Database Queries and the Multiple-System Operator.

How is the course structured?

The course is organized into lessons: Query Syntax Overview, SELECT Clause, FROM Clause, WHERE Clause, ORDER BY Clause, and Querying Operators.

What is the SELECT statement used for in this course?

The SELECT statement is the most fundamental statement in SQL and is used to select specific columns of data from a table, allowing you to retrieve the data you need for your analysis.

How does the course teach query writing?

It uses a step-by-step approach that gradually builds on foundational concepts, starting with the SELECT statement and progressing through FROM, WHERE, ORDER BY, and operators.