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

Summary

We started the chapter with a brief discussion about the INSERT statement used to add data in tables. We introduced the syntax of the INSERT statement and explained a simple example of adding one row using a values list.

Next we discussed the features in most database systems that allow you to generate the next unique value in a table to use as the primary key value for new rows. We explained that Microsoft SQL Server provides an Identity data type, Microsoft Access provides an AutoNumber data type, and MySQL has an AUTO_INCREMENT attribute for this purpose. We briefly explained the use of the Sequence pseudo-column in the Oracle database system. And finally, we explained how to use a subquery in a VALUES clause to obtain the previous ...