SQL Queries for Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Data Manipulation in SQL, Second Edition

The SELECT Statement

The SELECT statement forms the basis of every question you pose to the database. When you create and execute a SELECT statement, you are querying the database. (We know it sounds a little obvious, but we want to make certain that everyone reading this starts from the same point of reference.) In fact, many RDBMS programs allow you to save a SELECT statement as a query, view, function, or stored procedure. Whenever someone says she is going to query the database, you know that she’s going to execute some sort of SELECT statement. Depending on the RDBMS program, SELECT statements can be executed directly from a command line window, from an interactive Query by Example (QBE) grid, or from within a block of programming code. ...