If you want to learn how to use Microsoft SQL Server, one of the most popular and powerful relational database management systems, you need to master Transact-SQL, the language that allows you to query and manipulate data. Transact-SQL, or T-SQL for short, is an extension of the standard SQL language that adds many features and capabilities specific to SQL Server.
In this article, you will learn the solid basics of Transact-SQL that will help you get started with SQL Server and write effective queries. You will learn how to:
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By the end of this article, you will have a solid foundation of Transact-SQL and SQL Server that will enable you to learn more advanced topics and skills.
Transact-SQL is a dialect of SQL, the standard language for querying and manipulating relational data. SQL stands for Structured Query Language and was originally developed in the 1970s by IBM. SQL is a declarative language, which means that you specify what you want to do with the data, not how to do it. SQL is also a set-based language, which means that you operate on sets of rows rather than individual rows.
Transact-SQL is an extension of SQL that adds many features and capabilities specific to Microsoft SQL Server. Some of these features are:
Transact-SQL is the primary language for interacting with SQL Server. You can use Transact-SQL to create and modify database objects, query data, manipulate data, administer databases, and perform various tasks. You can write Transact-SQL statements in various tools and applications, such as SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), Azure Data Studio, Visual Studio Code, SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), or any application that can connect to SQL Server using ODBC or ADO.NET.
A database object is any entity that is defined in a database, such as a table, a view, a stored procedure, a function, a trigger, an index, a constraint, or a user. To create and modify database objects with Transact-SQL, you use Data Definition Language (DDL) statements. DDL statements allow you to define the structure and properties of database objects.
The most common DDL statements are:
The SELECT statement is the most fundamental and commonly used statement in Transact-SQL. It allows you to retrieve data from one or more tables or views. The basic syntax of the SELECT statement is:
SELECT select_list FROM table_source [WHERE search_condition] [GROUP BY group_by_expression] [HAVING search_condition] [ORDER BY order_expression]The select_list specifies the columns or expressions that you want to return in the result set. You can use * to return all columns from the table source, or you can use aliases to assign new names to the columns or expressions. You can also use DISTINCT to eliminate duplicate rows from the result set.
The table_source specifies the table or view that you want to query. You can use one or more table sources, separated by commas, to join them based on a common column or condition. You can also use aliases to assign new names to the table sources.
The WHERE clause specifies a search condition that filters the rows from the table source. You can use various operators and functions to construct complex conditions that evaluate to true, false, or unknown. Only the rows that satisfy the condition are returned in the result set.
The GROUP BY clause specifies a group_by_expression that groups the rows from the table source based on common values. You can use aggregate functions such as SUM, AVG, COUNT, MIN, and MAX to calculate summary values for each group. You can also use ROLLUP, CUBE, and GROUPING SETS to generate subtotals and totals for the groups.
The HAVING clause specifies a search condition that filters the groups from the GROUP BY clause. You can use various operators and functions to construct complex conditions that evaluate to true, false, or unknown. Only the groups that satisfy the condition are returned in the result set.
The ORDER BY clause specifies an order_expression that sorts the rows or groups in the result set based on one or more columns or expressions. You can use ASC or DESC to specify ascending or descending order for each column or expression. You can also use OFFSET and FETCH to limit the number of rows returned.
Here are some examples of SELECT statements using different clauses:
-- Select all columns and rows from the Product tableFunctions are predefined or user-defined routines that perform a specific task and return a value. Functions can be classified into two types: scalar functions and table-valued functions. Scalar functions return a single value of any data type, while table-valued functions return a table of rows and columns.
Transact-SQL provides many built-in functions that you can use to perform various operations on data, such as calculations, conversions, validations, manipulations, and aggregations. You can also create your own user-defined functions using the CREATE FUNCTION statement. User-defined functions can be either Transact-SQL functions or common language runtime (CLR) functions.
To use a function in Transact-SQL, you need to specify the function name and the arguments, if any, in parentheses. For example:
-- Use a scalar function to get the current dateSome of the categories of built-in functions in Transact-SQL are: