First Guide to SQL Anywhere Studio
PART 3. Basic SQL

CHAPTER 12. Selecting Data from Database Tables

About this chapter

This tutorial introduces the SELECT statement, the statement you use to retrieve information from databases. SELECT statements are commonly called queries, because they ask the database engine about the information in a database.

Before you begin the tutorial
The SELECT statement is a versatile command. SELECT statements can become highly complex in applications retrieving very specific information from large databases. This tutorial uses only simple SELECT statements: more advanced queries are described in later tutorials.

For more information about the full syntax of the select statement, see SELECT statement.

Notes

Ideally, you should be running the Adaptive Server Anywhere software on your computer while you read and work through the tutorial lessons.

Each lesson instructs you to type commands into the computer and describes what you will see on your computer screen. If you cannot run the software as you read the tutorials, you will still be able to learn about SQL but you will not have the opportunity to experiment on your own.

This tutorial assumes that you have already started Interactive SQL and connected to the sample database. If you have not already done so, see Using Interactive SQL.

  Looking at the information in a table
  Ordering query results
  Selecting columns from a table
  Selecting rows from a table
  Comparing dates in queries
  Compound search conditions in the WHERE clause
  Pattern matching in search conditions
  Matching rows by sound
  Short cuts for typing search conditions