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Welcome to ‘SQL Made Easy: A beginner’s Guide.’ In this guide, you’ll find essential information to help you understand SQL, learn its syntax, and get started with your very first queries. SQL – Structured Query Language – is crucial for managing data held in a relational database management system (RDBMS) or for stream processing in a relational data stream management system (RDSMS).
What is SQL?
SQL, pronounced ‘sequel,’ is a programming language used primarily to manage and manipulate databases. It’s a standard language for relational database management systems and can be used to create, read, update, and delete database records.
Using SQL Statements
At the core of SQL are statements. A SQL statement is effectively a command given to the database to perform a particular task.
Select Statement
The SELECT statement is used to select data from a database. The data returned is stored in a result table, called the result-set.
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SELECT column1, column2, ... FROM table_name; |
This SQL statement selects the “column1”, “column2”, … from the “table_name”.
Insert Into Statement
When you need to insert new data into a table, you use the INSERT INTO statement.
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INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2, column3, ...) VALUES (value1, value2, value3, ...); |
This SQL statement inserts “value1”, “value2”, into the “column1”, “column2” of the “table_name”.
Update Statement
The UPDATE statement is used to modify the existing records in a table.
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UPDATE table_name SET column1 = value1, column2 = value2, ... WHERE condition; |
This statement updates “column1”, “column2”, … in “table_name” where “condition” is true.
Going Forward
SQL is a powerful tool that’s well worth your time to learn. In this blog post, you’ve had a brief overview of what SQL is and how to use basic statements. There’s much more to learn, but with practice, you can become skillful with SQL. Good luck!