
Have a look at the following example: SELECT * The simplest case of using the MySQL SELECT command is retrieving all data in a table according to a particular criterion. The solution is to always specify the target column names to retrieve the data from. One more problem, if the table gets changed, for instance, someone adds new columns without notifying you, SELECT * will bring you the data you did not expect, spoiling your plans and results. This may overload the network traffic and produce unnecessary I/O. MySQL SELECT * returns all data even from those columns that you don’t use and don’t need for this query. SELECT * – “asterisk” – is a replacement for the ALL clause and quite a popular method.
#Mysql syntax update#
HIGH_PRIORITY determines that MySQL must execute the SELECT statement before all the UPDATE operators waiting for the same resource.LIMIT controls the number of rows retrieved by the query.DISTINCT removes duplicates from the result-set.ORDER BY sorts the records in the returned result-set.When this clause is applied, it selects and returns only those rows having the specified conditions TRUE. GROUP BY organizes the retrieved data by grouping them by columns.
#Mysql syntax code#
Writing clauses keywords in upper case is a formatting method to improve the code readability for users.īesides the FROM and WHERE clauses, the MySQL SELECT query can include other optional clauses: Note: SQL is not case-sensitive, so you may write the entire query in low case. Then, you separate them by semicolons, thus telling MySQL to execute all those commands individually. Often, queries consist of several commands. When MySQL evaluates the SELECT command, it always starts from evaluating the FROM clause and then proceeds to the SELECT clause.Īt the end of the statement, you have to put a semicolon ( ) as the statement delimiter in MySQL. WHERE is an optional condition, though it is very frequent in MySQL SELECT statements – it specifies the criteria to define the necessary data and return it.FROM is a mandatory clause that specifies the table or tables to select the data from (if you apply to multiple tables, you must separate their names by commas or use the JOIN method).SELECT is the keyword that starts the query and instructs MySQL on what task it must perform.
#Mysql syntax how to#
Let’s dig deeper into the statement syntax to understand how to write the SELECT query in MySQL.

Many specialists prefer the “column” format because it makes the query easier to read and understand. It is a matter of personal preferences and convenience only. It does not matter if you write this query in one line or column, with each keyword starting a new line.

Or, you may see the following format: SELECT column_to_select The SELECT query follows the standard syntax: SELECT column_to_select FROM table_to_select WHERE conditions

This query is neutral – its performance does not produce effects on the database, except for some specific cases which we’ll expose further. An absolute majority of all MySQL queries begin with the SELECT query. With the help of this MySQL query data method, database administrators can retrieve, group, summarize and analyze data. MySQL SELECT statement queries the database according to the criteria set by the operator and returns the rows/columns that match those criteria. For that, we turn to the SELECT statement, which is one of the MySQL operation pillars. However, when we need to apply any changes to the database, we first must define the “target”. Users describe the tasks via these queries, and the database management system performs all the physical operations.Īmong the most widely used MySQL queries, one would certainly name CREATE, UPDATE, and DELETE. The primary task in database management is writing and executing queries – commands for retrieving and manipulating data in databases. The article covers the basic syntax of a MySQL SELECT statement and provides examples that show how to use a MySQL SELECT statement to retrieve data from tables.
