MSDN Documentation – SQL Basics

SELECT – Retrieving Data

The SELECT statement is the foundation of retrieving data from a relational database. Below are common patterns and examples.

1. Basic SELECT

SELECT * FROM Employees;

2. Selecting Specific Columns

SELECT FirstName, LastName, HireDate
FROM Employees;

3. Using WHERE to Filter Rows

SELECT FirstName, Salary
FROM Employees
WHERE Salary > 50000;

4. Ordering Results

SELECT FirstName, HireDate
FROM Employees
ORDER BY HireDate DESC;

5. Limiting Rows (TOP / LIMIT)

-- SQL Server
SELECT TOP 5 * FROM Employees;

-- MySQL / PostgreSQL
SELECT * FROM Employees LIMIT 5;

6. Column & Table Aliases

SELECT e.FirstName AS Name, d.Name AS Department
FROM Employees e
JOIN Departments d ON e.DeptID = d.ID;