SQL SELECT Statement

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What is the SQL SELECT Statement?

The SQL SELECT statement is the SQL command that retrieves data from an SQL database. This operation is also known as a query and is the key to the use of SQL for analysis and reporting. This tutorial section shows the basic SQL SELECT statement so see the SQL Advanced tutorial section for more in depth knowledge.

Why Use the SQL SELECT Statement?

Anytime you want to retrieve information from a SQL database use the SQL SELECT statement to request the information.

How To Use the SQL SELECT Statement

The SQL SELECT command is used as follows. The asterisk can be used to SELECT all columns of a table.

SQL SELECT Statement Syntax

SELECT <columnlist>
FROM <tablename>

SQL SELECT Statement Example 1

The following example retrieves the columns product_nbr and product_name from all rows of the product table.

SELECT product_nbr, product_name
FROM product

Results from the execution of the SQL SELECT statement, also known as a query are as follows:

product_nbr product_name

1001 SQL Tool 1.0

2001 SQL Tool 2.0 Light

2002 SQL Tool 2.0 Professional

2003 SQL Tool 2.0 Enterprise

SQL SELECT Statement Example 2

The following example retrieves all of the columns from all rows of the product table.

SELECT *
FROM product

Results show the product_status_code column that was not present in Example 1.

product_nbr product_name product_status_code

1001 SQL Tool 1.0 Inactive

2001 SQL Tool 2.0 Light Active

2002 SQL Tool 2.0 Professional Active

2003 SQL Tool 2.0 Enterprise Active