SQL SELECT Statement

The SQL SELECT statement is used to query and retrieve data from a database. It is one of the most fundamental and frequently used commands in SQL. You can use the SELECT statement to select specific columns or rows from one or more tables.

Basic Syntax

The basic syntax for the SQL SELECT statement is as follows:

SELECT column1, column2, ...
FROM table_name;

            

- SELECT specifies the columns to be retrieved.
- FROM specifies the table from which to retrieve the data.

Examples

• Retrieve all columns:
  

  SELECT * FROM employees;

• Retrieve specific columns:
  

  SELECT first_name, last_name FROM employees;

• Retrieve columns with conditions:
  

  SELECT * FROM employees WHERE department = 'Sales';

The SELECT statement can be enhanced with various clauses to filter, sort, and limit the results. Understanding how to use SELECT effectively is crucial for working with relational databases.