SQL Basics: SELECT and FROM

1. SELECT Statement

The SELECT statement is the most fundamental command in SQL. It is used to retrieve data from a database. The data returned is stored in a result table, often referred to as the result-set.

Imagine you have a library of books, and you want to list all the titles. The SELECT statement is like asking the librarian to give you a list of all the book titles.

Example:

SELECT title FROM books;

In this example, the SELECT statement retrieves the title column from the books table.

2. FROM Clause

The FROM clause specifies the table from which to retrieve the data. It is always used in conjunction with the SELECT statement.

Continuing with the library analogy, the FROM clause is like specifying which shelf or section of the library you want to look at.

Example:

SELECT title FROM books;

Here, the FROM clause indicates that the data should be retrieved from the books table.

Combining SELECT and FROM

When you combine the SELECT statement with the FROM clause, you can effectively query the database to get the specific information you need.

Example:

SELECT title, author FROM books WHERE genre = 'Science Fiction';

In this example, the query retrieves the title and author columns from the books table where the genre is 'Science Fiction'.