Retrieving Data Using
the SQL SELECT Statement
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Objectives
After completing this lesson, you should be able to do
the following:
List the capabilities of SQL SELECT statements
Execute a basic SELECT statement
Differentiate between SQL statements and
iSQL*Plus commands
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Capabilities of SQL SELECT Statements
Projection
Selection
Table 1
Table 1
Join
Table 1
Table 2
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Basic SELECT Statement
SELECT *|{[DISTINCT] column|expression [alias],...}
FROM
table;
SELECT identifies the columns to be displayed
FROM identifies the table containing those columns
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Selecting All Columns
SELECT *
FROM
departments;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Selecting Specific Columns
SELECT department_id, location_id
FROM
departments;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Writing SQL Statements
SQL statements are not case-sensitive.
SQL statements can be on one or more lines.
Keywords cannot be abbreviated or split
across lines.
Clauses are usually placed on separate lines.
Indents are used to enhance readability.
In iSQL*Plus, SQL statements can optionally be
terminated by a semicolon (;). Semicolons are
required if you execute multiple SQL statements.
In SQL*plus, you are required to end each SQL
statement with a semicolon (;).
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Column Heading Defaults
iSQL*Plus:
Default heading alignment: Center
Default heading display: Uppercase
SQL*Plus:
Character and Date column headings are leftaligned
Number column headings are right-aligned
Default heading display: Uppercase
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Arithmetic Expressions
Create expressions with number and date data by
using arithmetic operators.
Operator
Description
Add
Subtract
Multiply
Divide
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Using Arithmetic Operators
SELECT last_name, salary, salary + 300
FROM
employees;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Operator Precedence
SELECT last_name, salary, 12*salary+100
FROM
employees;
SELECT last_name, salary, 12*(salary+100)
FROM
employees;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Defining a Null Value
A null is a value that is unavailable, unassigned,
unknown, or inapplicable.
A null is not the same as a zero or a blank space.
SELECT last_name, job_id, salary, commission_pct
FROM
employees;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Null Values
in Arithmetic Expressions
Arithmetic expressions containing a null value
evaluate to null.
SELECT last_name, 12*salary*commission_pct
FROM
employees;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Defining a Column Alias
A column alias:
Renames a column heading
Is useful with calculations
Immediately follows the column name (There can
also be the optional AS keyword between the
column name and alias.)
Requires double quotation marks if it contains
spaces or special characters or if it is casesensitive
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Using Column Aliases
SELECT last_name AS name, commission_pct comm
FROM
employees;
SELECT last_name "Name" , salary*12 "Annual Salary"
FROM
employees;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Concatenation Operator
A concatenation operator:
Links columns or character strings to other
columns
Is represented by two vertical bars (||)
Creates a resultant column that is a character
expression
SELECT
FROM
last_name||job_id AS "Employees"
employees;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Literal Character Strings
A literal is a character, a number, or a date that is
included in the SELECT statement.
Date and character literal values must be enclosed
by single quotation marks.
Each character string is output once for each
row returned.
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Using Literal Character Strings
SELECT last_name ||' is a '||job_id
AS "Employee Details"
FROM
employees;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Alternative Quote (q) Operator
Specify your own quotation mark delimiter
Choose any delimiter
Increase readability and usability
SELECT department_name ||
q'[, it's assigned Manager Id: ]'
|| manager_id
AS "Department and Manager"
FROM departments;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Duplicate Rows
The default display of queries is all rows, including
duplicate rows.
SELECT department_id
FROM
employees;
SELECT DISTINCT department_id
FROM
employees;
Copyright 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.
