SQL Syntax

The shape of an SQL statement

Every SQL command is called a statement. A statement begins with a keyword that describes the action you want, such as SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE. After the keyword you list the details the database needs, for example which columns to read and which table to read from. Learning the basic pattern once makes every later topic easier to follow.

The statement below is a complete query. It reads two columns from the Customers table but only for rows where the country is Germany. Notice how it reads almost like an English sentence: select these columns, from this table, where this condition is true.

SELECT CustomerName, City
FROM Customers
WHERE Country = 'Germany';

Common SQL keywords

The semicolon

The semicolon marks the end of a statement. It becomes important when you want to run several statements one after another, because it tells the database where one command stops and the next begins. Many systems accept a single statement without a semicolon, but it is good practice to include it every time.

SELECT * FROM Products;
SELECT * FROM Orders;

Case sensitivity and whitespace

• SQL keywords are not case sensitive: SELECT, select, and Select all work the same way
• Writing keywords in uppercase is a common convention that makes statements easier to read
• Extra spaces, tabs, and line breaks between words are ignored, so you can format a query across several lines
• Text values inside quotes, such as 'Germany', are case sensitive on many systems, so match them carefully

With this pattern in mind you are ready to explore the most important statement in SQL. Continue to SQL Select to start reading real data.