Book Image

The SQL Workshop

By : Frank Solomon, Prashanth Jayaram, Awni Al Saqqa
Book Image

The SQL Workshop

By: Frank Solomon, Prashanth Jayaram, Awni Al Saqqa

Overview of this book

Many software applications are backed by powerful relational database systems, meaning that the skills to be able to maintain a SQL database and reliably retrieve data are in high demand. With its simple syntax and effective data manipulation capabilities, SQL enables you to manage relational databases with ease. The SQL Workshop will help you progress from basic to advanced-level SQL queries in order to create and manage databases successfully. This Workshop begins with an introduction to basic CRUD commands and gives you an overview of the different data types in SQL. You'll use commands for narrowing down the search results within a database and learn about data retrieval from single and multiple tables in a single query. As you advance, you'll use aggregate functions to perform calculations on a set of values, and implement process automation using stored procedures, functions, and triggers. Finally, you'll secure your database against potential threats and use access control to keep your data safe. Throughout this Workshop, you'll use your skills on a realistic database for an online shop, preparing you for solving data problems in the real world. By the end of this book, you'll have built the knowledge, skills and confidence to creatively solve real-world data problems with SQL.
Table of Contents (13 chapters)

The INSERT Operation

The INSERT operation inserts a record within a table. We have already used the insert operation in the previous chapter, however, in this chapter, we are looking at it in more detail. The following are some important points about the INSERT operation:

  • It is not always essential to provide data for every single column when performing an INSERT operation. The columns can be left blank unless there is a constraint that forbids it. Some columns may even have default or system-generated values.
  • You should not alter the system-generated values.
  • The column values must match the order, data type, and size requirements.
  • The values to be inserted into the table must be enclosed in quotes in the case of strings, date-time, and characters. Numbers should not be enclosed in quotes.
  • If you do not specify the column names in the INSERT statement, your record should have a value for all the columns. Also, you should maintain the sequence of columns in...