The SELECT statement is fundamental for retrieving data from databases. Here's a concise overview:

🧩 Basic Syntax

SELECT column1, column2, ...
FROM table_name
[WHERE condition]
[ORDER BY column]
[LIMIT number]
  • Use SELECT to specify columns you want to retrieve
  • FROM defines the table source
  • WHERE filters records (optional)
  • ORDER BY sorts results (optional)
  • LIMIT restricts the number of rows (optional)

✅ Common Operations

  • Filtering: Use WHERE with conditions like =, >, <, LIKE
    SELECT_where_condition
  • Sorting: ORDER BY with ASC (ascending) or DESC (descending)
  • Pagination: Combine LIMIT and OFFSET for large datasets
  • Aggregation: Use GROUP BY with COUNT, SUM, AVG etc.

📖 Example

SELECT name, age
FROM users
WHERE age > 25
ORDER BY name ASC
LIMIT 10;

This query retrieves the first 10 users over 25 years old, sorted alphabetically.

SELECT_example_database

⚠️ Best Practices

  1. Avoid using SELECT * for performance optimization
  2. Use specific column names instead of *
  3. Index columns used in WHERE clauses
  4. Limit results when testing or debugging

For more details on SQL syntax, visit our SQL Reference Guide.

SELECT_best_practices_optimization