The Fifth Edition of Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 21 Days

More than 48,000 sold!

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In just one hour a day, you''ll have all the skills you need to begin creating effective SQL queries, reports, and database applications. With this complete tutorial, you''ll quickly master the basics and then move on to more advanced features and concepts:

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• Quickly apply essential SQL techniques in useful, real-world queries
• Design trustworthy, high-performance databases
• Manipulate your data with views and transactions
• Leverage powerful features including stored procedures, triggers, and cursors
• Work with new objects introduced with the latest SQL standards
• Get practical, expert tips on implementing SQL in your business environment

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Learn on your own time, at your own pace

• No previous SQL or database experience required
• Learn techniques that work with any current version of SQL
• Discover how to write faster, more efficient queries
• Secure your data using best practices from experienced database administrators
• Build more powerful databases with features exclusive to Oracle SQL*Plus, Oracle PL/SQL, and Microsoft Transact-SQL
• Write queries for the free, open source MySQL database
• Embed your SQL code in other applications

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Ryan Stephens and Ron Plew are President and VP of Perpetual Technologies, Inc. (PTI) in Indianapolis, IN, providing managed services and consulting for top database implementations running Oracle, SQL Server, and other leading technologies. They taught for 5+ years as adjunct professors at Indiana University-Purdue University. Their books include Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 24 Hours, First through Fourth Editions, Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 21 Days, Second through Fourth Editions, and Database Design.

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Table of Contents

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Introduction nbsp;1

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PART I: Introducing SQL

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LESSON 1: Getting Started with SQLnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 5

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; A Brief History of SQLnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 5

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; A Brief History of Databasesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 6

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Today''s Database Landscapenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 11

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; A Cross-Product Languagenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 12

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Early Implementationsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 12

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; SQL and Client/Server Application Developmentnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 13

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; An Overview of SQLnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 13

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Popular SQL Implementationsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 14

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; MySQLnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 14

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Oraclenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 14

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;Microsoft SQL Server and Sybasenbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;15

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; IBM DB2nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 16

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Open Database Connectivitynbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 16

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Embedding SQL in Application Programmingnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 17

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LESSON 2: Introducing the Querynbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 21

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Exploring SQL''s Backgroundnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 21

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Learning Basic Query Syntaxnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 22

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The Building Blocks of Data Retrieval: SELECT and FROMnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 23

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Applying Query Conceptsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 25

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Writing Your First Querynbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 26

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Terminating a SQL Statementnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 28

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Selecting Individual Columnsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 28

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Changing the Order of the Columnsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 29

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Selecting Different Tablesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 31

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Selecting Distinct Valuesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 31

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Exercisesnbsp; 37

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LESSON 3: Expressions, Conditions, and Operatorsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 39

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Working with Query Expressionsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 40

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Placing Conditions on Queriesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 40

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Learning How to Use Operatorsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 42

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Arithmetic Operatorsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 42

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Comparison Operatorsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 55

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Character Operatorsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 63

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Logical Operatorsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 70

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Set Operatorsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 75

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Miscellaneous Operators: IN and BETWEENnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 78

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LESSON 4: Clauses in SQL Queriesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 85

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Specifying Criteria with the WHERE Clausenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 87

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Order from Chaos: The ORDER BY Clausenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 89

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The GROUP BY Clausenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 98

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The HAVING Clausenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 105

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Combining Clausesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 112

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Example 4.1nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 112

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Example 4.2nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 113

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Example 4.3nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 113

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Example 4.4nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 115

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LESSON 5: Joining Tablesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 121

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Joining Multiple Tables in a Single SELECT Statementnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 121

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Cross Joining Tablesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 123

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Finding the Correct Column nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;128

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Joining Tables Based on Equalitynbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 129

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Joining Tables Based on Nonequalitynbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 137

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; OUTER JOINs Versus INNER JOINsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 139

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Joining a Table to Itself: The Self Joinnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 143

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LESSON 6: Embedding Subqueries into Queriesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 151

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Building a Subquerynbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 153

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Using Aggregate Functions with Subqueriesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 160

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Nesting Subqueriesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 162

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Referencing Outside with Correlated Subqueriesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 166

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Using EXISTS, ANY, and ALLnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 169

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LESSON 7: Molding Data with Built-in Functionsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 179

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Using Aggregate Functions to Summarize Datanbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 180

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;COUNTnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 180

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;SUMnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 181

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;AVGnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 182

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;MAXnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 184

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;MINnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 185

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;VARIANCEnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 186

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;STDDEVnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 186

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Using Functions to Format Date and Time Valuesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 187

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ADD_MONTHS/ADD_DATEnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; 188

nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp