SQL: Visual QuickStart Guide

Retrieving Columns with SELECT and FROM

In its simplest form, a SELECT statement retrieves columns from a table; you can retrieve one column, multiple columns, or all columns. The SELECT clause lists the columns to display, and the FROM clause specifies the table from which to draw the columns.

To retrieve a column from a table:

• Type:

  SELECT column
    FROM table;
  

  column is a column name, and table is the name of the table that contains column (Listing 4.1 and Figure 4.1).

Listing 4.1. List the cities in which the authors live. See Figure 4.1 for the result.

SELECT city FROM authors;

Figure 4.1. Result of Listing 4.1.

city ------------- Bronx Boulder San Francisco San Francisco New York Palo Alto Sarasota

To retrieve multiple columns ...