10 SQL Commands

A Guide to Top 10
SQL
Commands
Introduction to SQL
Today the universal language for managing relational
database is SQL. It's both powerful and relatively easy
to learn.
However, SQL can get tricky as your data structures

become more complex. But you can be a pro at it with
some practice.
So, here are essential commands that you’ll use

frequently. This doc doesn’t contains all the commands
but includes few of the essential commands
DDL (Data Definition Language),
DML (Data Manipulation Language),
DQL (Data Query Language), and
DCL (Data Control Language).
Created By Bosscoder Academy 1

Data Definition Language
(DDL)
DDL is a subset of SQL primarily used for defining and

managing the structure of a database
DDL commands are non-transactional, meaning they

immediately affect the database structure
Key DDL commands include CREATE TABLE, ALTER

TABLE, DROP TABLE, CREATE INDEX, DROP INDEX,
CREATE VIEW, and DROP VIEW.
CREATE TABLE Command
Syntax: CREATE TABLE table_name (columnname1

datatype, columnname2 datatype, ...)y
Purpose: Creates a new table with specified columns and

data types
Example: CREATE TABLE employees (id INT, name

VARCHAR(50), salary DECIMAL);

This SQL command creates a table named "employees" with
three columns:
An integer column to store unique employee

id (INT)
IDs.
A variable-length character
column for employee names with
name (VARCHAR(50))
a maximum length of 50
characters.
A decimal number column to store

salary (DECIMAL)
employee salaries.
ALTER TABLE Command
Syntax: ALTER TABLE table_name ADD|MODIFY|

DROP column_name datatype;
¯ ADD ª
Example: ALTER TABLE employees ADD department
VARCHAR(30);

; This command adds a new column named
"department" to the "employees" table with a data
type of VARCHAR(30)
MODIFY
; Example: ALTER TABLE employees MODIFY salary
DECIMAL(10, 2)>
; In this example, the command modifies the data type

of the "salary" column in the "employees" table. It
changes the data type to DECIMAL with a precision of
10 and a scale of 2
DROP
; Example: ALTER TABLE employees DROP department>
; The DROP command removes the "department"
column from the "employees" table.
DROP TABLE Command
; Syntax: DROP TABLE table_name>

; Purpose: Deletes an entire table and all its data
; Example: DROP TABLE employees;

The purpose of this command is to remove the entire
"employees" table, including all the data it contains. This
action permanently deletes the table and all the records
(rows) stored in it.
CREATE INDEX Command

o Syntax: CREATE INDEX index_name ON table_name
(column1, column2, ...)w
o Purpose: This command is used to create an index on
one or more columns within a database table,
improving the speed of data retrieval operationsJ
o Example: CREATE INDEX idx_name ON employees
(id);
The provided example creates an index named "idx_name"
on the "employees" table, specifically on the "id" column.
This indexing will optimize the retrieval of data based on the
"id" column.
DROP INDEX Command

o Syntax: DROP INDEX index_name;

6 Purpose: The primary purpose of the DROP INDEX
command is to eliminate an existing index associated
with a database table
6 Example: To illustrate, let's say you want to remove an
index named "idx_name" from a table. You would
execute the following command: DROP INDEX
idx_name;.
CREATE VIEW Command
6 Syntax: CREATE VIEW view_name AS SELECT

column1, column2 FROM table_name WHERE
condition
6 Purpose:
6 This command serves the purpose of establishing a
virtual table that is generated from the results of a
SELECT query.
6 It offers a way to encapsulate complex queries or
provide a simplified view of your data without
physically storing it.

) Example: For instance, you can create a view named
"high_salary_employees" by executing the following
command: CREATE VIEW high_salary_employees AS
SELECT name, salary FROM employees WHERE salary >
50000;. This view gathers and displays the names and
salaries of employees with salaries exceeding Rs. 50,000,
providing a convenient way to access this specific
dataset.
DROP VIEW Command
) Syntax: DROP VIEW view_name©

) Purpose:
) The primary purpose of the DROP VIEW command
is to remove a view from the database and
eliminate its associated definition.
) This action effectively erases the virtual table,
which can be beneficial when a view is no longer
required or needs to be replacedc
) Example: As an illustration, consider the need to
remove a view named "high_salary_employees." You
can achieve this by executing the following command:
DROP VIEW high_salary_employees;

TRUNCATE Command
B Syntax: TRUNCATE TABLE table_nameO

B Purpose: The TRUNCATE command is designed to
provide a fast and efficient way to delete all records
from a table, maintaining the table structure for future
data insertion
B Example: As an example, to clear all data from a table
called "employee_data," you can execute the
command: TRUNCATE TABLE employee_data;.
RENAME Command
B Syntax: RENAME old_table_name TO

new_table_nameO
B Purpose: The primary purpose of the RENAME
command is to alter the name of an existing table in
the database
B Example: For instance, if you wish to rename a table
from "old_employees" to "new_employees," you can
execute the command: RENAME old_employees TO
new_employees;

Data Manipulation
Language (DML)
DML, or Data Manipulation Language, is a subset of SQL

used to manage and manipulate data within a database.
SELECT Statement
R Syntax: SELECT column1, column2 FROM table WHERE

condition[
R Purpose: Retrieves data from a database6
R Example: SELECT first_name, last_name FROM

employees;
This command selects the first name and last name of

employees working in the Sales department.
SELECT - Retrieving Data
You can select specific columns or use '*' to retrieve all

columns.

Filtering is done using the WHERE clause.
Example: SELECT product_name, price FROM products

WHERE category = 'Electronics';
Here, we retrieve the product name and price from the

'products' table for items in the 'Electronics' category. The
WHERE clause filters the results to include only Electronics
products.
Example: SELECT * FROM products;
In this example, the SELECT statement is used with *, as the

column list. When you use *, it's a shorthand way of selecting
all columns from the specified table, in this case, the
products table.
INSERT Statement
µ Syntax: INSERT INTO table (column1, column2, ...)

VALUES (value1, value2, ...)Â
µ Purpose: Adds new data to a table
µ Example: INSERT INTO customers (first_name,
last_name, email) VALUES ('John', 'Doe',
'john.doe@email.com');

Explanation: This command inserts a new customer, 'John
Doe', into the 'customers' table with the specified first name,
last name, and email.
INSERT - Adding Multiple Rows
You can insert multiple rows in a single statement in the
following way.
Example:
INSERT INTO orders (order_id, customer_id,
order_date) VALUES (1, 101, '2023-10-18'), (2, 102,
'2023-10-19');
Multiple rows can be inserted in a single command. Here,
two orders are added to the 'orders' table with their
respective order IDs, customer IDs, and order dates.
UPDATE Statement
¶ Syntax: UPDATE table SET column1 = value1, column2

= value2 WHERE condition»
¶ Purpose: Modifies existing data in a table.

Example:
UPDATE products SET price = 49.99 WHERE product_id =

101;
This command updates the price of a product with
'product_id' 101 in the 'products' table to Rs. 49.99.
Example:
UPDATE employees SET salary = 60000 WHERE department

= 'HR';
The command updates the salary of employees in the 'HR'
department to 60,000. The WHERE clause ensures that only
HR department employees are affected.
DELETE Statement
Syntax: DELETE FROM table WHERE conditionª
Purpose: Removes data from a table.
Example:
DELETE FROM customers WHERE customer_id = 105;
This command deletes the customer with 'customer_id' 105
from the 'customers' table.

Example:
DELETE FROM orders WHERE order_date < '2023-01-01';
The command deletes all orders with an 'order_date' before
January 1, 2023.
It's essential to be cautious with DELETE as it permanently
removes data.

Transaction Control
Language (TCL)
< Transaction Control Language (TCL) commands are a

subset of SQL commands used to manage and control
database transactions
< They include commands like COMMIT, ROLLBACK, and

SAVEPOINT, allowing you to control the integrity and
consistency of your database.
COMMIT Command
< Syntax: COMMIT
< Purpose: Commits the current transaction, making all

changes permanent in the database
< Example:
BEGIN;
-- Perform SQL operations
COMMIT;

In this example, the BEGIN initiates a transaction, and
COMMIT makes all changes within that transaction
permanent.
ROLLBACK Command
O Syntax: ROLLBACKk
O Purpose: Rolls back the current transaction, undoing all
changes made within the transaction,
O Example:
BEGIN;
ROLLBACK;
When ROLLBACK is executed, all changes made within the
transaction are undone, and the database returns to its
previous state.
SAVEPOINT Command
O Syntax: SAVEPOINT savepoint_namek
O Purpose: Creates a savepoint within a transaction to
which you can later roll back.

Example:
BEGIN;
SAVEPOINT sp1;
-- More SQL operations
ROLLBACK TO sp1;
SAVEPOINT creates a point in the transaction where you can
later roll back, preserving changes made before the
savepoint.
SET TRANSACTION Command
~ Syntax: SET TRANSACTION [transaction_properties]
~ Purpose: Sets various transaction properties such as
isolation level or access mode]
~ Example: SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL

SERIALIZABLE;
This example sets the isolation level to SERIALIZABLE, which
ensures that concurrent transactions do not interfere with
the current one, providing high data consistency.

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A Guide to Top 10

However, SQL can get tricky as your data structures

So, here are essential commands that you’ll use

Created By Bosscoder Academy 1

DDL is a subset of SQL primarily used for defining and

 DDL commands are non-transactional, meaning they

 Key DDL commands include CREATE TABLE, ALTER

CREATE TABLE Command

 Syntax: CREATE TABLE table_name (columnname1

 Purpose: Creates a new table with specified columns and

 Example: CREATE TABLE employees (id INT, name

Created By Bosscoder Academy 2

An integer column to store unique employee

A decimal number column to store

ALTER TABLE Command

 Syntax: ALTER TABLE table_name ADD|MODIFY|

Created By Bosscoder Academy 3

; In this example, the command modifies the data type

DROP TABLE Command

; Syntax: DROP TABLE table_name>

Created By Bosscoder Academy 4

CREATE INDEX Command

DROP INDEX Command

Created By Bosscoder Academy 5

CREATE VIEW Command

6 Syntax: CREATE VIEW view_name AS SELECT

Created By Bosscoder Academy 6

DROP VIEW Command

) Syntax: DROP VIEW view_name©

Created By Bosscoder Academy 7

B Syntax: TRUNCATE TABLE table_nameO

B Syntax: RENAME old_table_name TO

Created By Bosscoder Academy 8

DML, or Data Manipulation Language, is a subset of SQL

R Syntax: SELECT column1, column2 FROM table WHERE

R Purpose: Retrieves data from a database6

R Example: SELECT first_name, last_name FROM

This command selects the first name and last name of

SELECT - Retrieving Data

You can select specific columns or use '*' to retrieve all

Created By Bosscoder Academy 9

Example: SELECT product_name, price FROM products

Here, we retrieve the product name and price from the

Example: SELECT * FROM products;

In this example, the SELECT statement is used with *, as the

µ Syntax: INSERT INTO table (column1, column2, ...)

Created By Bosscoder Academy 10

last name, and email.

INSERT - Adding Multiple Rows

You can insert multiple rows in a single statement in the

INSERT INTO orders (order_id, customer_id,

order_date) VALUES (1, 101, '2023-10-18'), (2, 102,

Multiple rows can be inserted in a single command. Here,

two orders are added to the 'orders' table with their

respective order IDs, customer IDs, and order dates.

¶ Syntax: UPDATE table SET column1 = value1, column2

¶ Purpose: Modifies existing data in a table.

Created By Bosscoder Academy 11

UPDATE products SET price = 49.99 WHERE product_id =

DDL commands are non-transactional, meaning they

Key DDL commands include CREATE TABLE, ALTER

Syntax: CREATE TABLE table_name (columnname1

Purpose: Creates a new table with specified columns and

Example: CREATE TABLE employees (id INT, name

Syntax: ALTER TABLE table_name ADD|MODIFY|

< Syntax: COMMIT

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