Syntax basics

One of the most frequently used SQL statements is the SELECT statement, which extracts specified columns from one or more database tables to build a recordset. Here’s the basic syntax for a SELECT statement:

SELECT ColumnName FROM TableName

You can add line breaks, tabs, and other white space to your statements to clarify the logic: SQL ignores all white space. The following example shows a valid statement:

SELECT PaidDues
   FROM Members

The following keywords identify commonly used SQL commands:

Keyword	Description
SELECT	Retrieves the specified records from a database
INSERT	Adds a new record in a database table
UPDATE	Changes values in specified database records
DELETE	Removes specified database records

The following keywords are used to refine SQL statements:

Keyword	Description
FROM	Names the data source for an operation
WHERE	Sets one or more conditions for the operation
ORDER BY	Sorts the recordset rows in a specified order
GROUP BY	Groups the recordset by the specified select list items

The following operators specify conditions and perform logical and numeric functions:

Operator	Meaning
`=`	Equal to
`LIKE`	Like (wildcards OK)
`<>`	Not equal to
`NOT LIKE`	Not like (wildcards OK)
`<`	Less than
`>`	Greater than
`<=`	Less than or equal to
`>=`	Greater than or equal to
AND	Both conditions must be met, such as Louisiana AND Texas
OR	At least one condition must be met, such as Smith OR Smyth
NOT	Exclude the condition following, such as Paris NOT France