Chapter 1
Values, Variables, Functions, and Expressions
IN THIS CHAPTER
Discovering valid values for table columns
Summarizing data with set functions
Dissecting data with value functions
Converting data types
This chapter describes the tools that ISO/IEC standard SQL provides to operate on data. In addition to specifying the value of a data item, you can slice and dice an item in a variety of ways. Instead of just retrieving raw data as it exists in the database, you can preprocess it to deliver just the information you want, in the form that you want it.
Entering Data Values
After you’ve created a database table, the next step is to enter data into it. SQL supports a number of different data types. (Refer to Book 1, Chapter 6 for coverage of those types.) Within any specific data type, the data can take any of several forms. The five different forms that can appear in table rows are
- Row values
- Column references
- Literal values
- Variables
- Special variables
I discuss each in turn throughout this section.
Row values have multiple parts
A row value includes the values of all the ...
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