SQL SELECT Statement

The SQL SELECT statement is used to retrieve data from one or more tables in a database.

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1. Basic Syntax

The basic syntax of the SELECT statement is:

SELECT column1, column2, ...
FROM table_name;

Example:

// Example of selecting all columns from the "employees" table
SELECT *
FROM employees;

This example retrieves all columns from the "employees" table.

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2. Filtering Data

You can filter the retrieved data using the WHERE clause:

// Example of selecting data from the "employees" table where the age is greater than 30
SELECT *
FROM employees
WHERE age > 30;

This example retrieves data from the "employees" table where the age column is greater than 30.

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3. Sorting Data

You can sort the retrieved data using the ORDER BY clause:

// Example of selecting data from the "employees" table sorted by the "last_name" column in descending order
SELECT *
FROM employees
ORDER BY last_name DESC;

This example retrieves data from the "employees" table and sorts it by the "last_name" column in descending order.

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4. Limiting Results

You can limit the number of rows returned using the LIMIT clause:

// Example of selecting the first 10 rows from the "employees" table
SELECT *
FROM employees
LIMIT 10;

This example retrieves the first 10 rows from the "employees" table.

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5. Conclusion

The SELECT statement is essential in SQL for retrieving data from tables in a database. By combining it with clauses such as WHERE, ORDER BY, and LIMIT, developers can filter, sort, and limit the results to suit their needs.