25 Most Popular SQL Commands

Welcome to our guide on the 25 most popular SQL commands. SQL (Structured Query Language) is the primary language used for managing and manipulating relational databases. Whether you're a beginner just starting to learn SQL or an experienced developer looking for a quick reference guide, this page is designed to provide you with a comprehensive list of the most commonly used SQL commands.

SELECT

The SELECT statement is used to specify which columns of a database table should be included in the result.

LIMIT

Limiting the number of rows returned from a table is a useful trick for speeding query time. To limit the number of rows, you can use the LIMIT command.

AS

To rename a column or a table when returning results, you can use the AS command to set an alias for your outputs.

SELECT DISTINCT

Datasets often contain duplicate rows or values in a column. Combining SELECT with DISTINCT drops duplicates.

COUNT

COUNT() returns the number of rows in the table or group.

MIN

MIN() returns the minimum value in a numeric column.

MAX

MAX() returns the maximum value in a numeric column.

SUM

SUM() returns the total of numeric values.

AVERAGE

AVERAGE calculates the arithmetic mean of a column.

WHERE

The WHERE clause filters rows that match a certain condition.

HAVING

HAVING clause is similar to the WHERE clause, but it can only be used with aggregate functions while WHERE can’t.

AND

AND operator is used when filtering rows that match more than one condition.

OR

OR is another conditional operator that allows you to subset rows if any of the conditions separated by OR are true.

BETWEEN

BETWEEN allows you to subset rows within a certain range, which makes WHERE clauses simpler and easier to read.

IN

The IN operator is a shorthand for multiple OR statements.

LIKE

The LIKE operator lets you search for patterns in a text column using special strings called wildcards.

GROUP BY

GROUP BY lets you group rows based on column values.

ORDER BY

ORDER BY lets you order rows based on a column value. You can order by ascending (default) or descending order by adding the ASC or DESC.

UPDATE

UPDATE is used to change the values of individual cells in an existing table. It is used with the SET keyword.

ALTER TABLE

You can use the ALTER TABLE statement to modify the properties of the table and its columns (not actual cell values).

CREATE TABLE

CREATE TABLE creates a new table in a database.

INSERT INTO

INSERT INTO statement can be used to add new rows to a table.

INNER JOIN

The INNER JOIN command selects rows that have matching values in both tables.

LEFT JOIN

A LEFT JOIN keeps all of the original records in the left table and returns missing values for any columns from the right table where the joining field did not find a match.

RIGHT JOIN

A RIGHT JOIN keeps all of the original records in the right table and returns missing values for any columns from the left table where the joining field did not find a match.

Get instant SQL help with AI2sql

In addition to this guide, we also offer AI2sql to help with commands, which can be a useful tool for quickly understanding the function of a specific command or for generating the correct syntax for a query. Whether you're just getting started or you're a seasoned developer, AI2sql is an excellent resource to have on hand.

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