SQL isn't programming: it's asking questions

Many people think SQL is a hard programming language. It's actually closer to filling out a form: you say which columns you want, from which table and under what conditions. The database takes care of the how.

One question, three pieces

Imagine the table students with the columns name, grade_level and score. The question “which 2nd-year students have more than a 7?” translates almost word for word:

SELECT name, score
FROM students
WHERE grade_level = 2 AND score > 7;

• •SELECT: what you want to see (the columns).
• •FROM: where it is (the table).
• •WHERE: which rows you care about (the condition).

Sorting and limiting

What if you want the top three? You add ORDER BY to sort and LIMIT to keep just a few rows.

SELECT name, score
FROM students
ORDER BY score DESC
LIMIT 3;

🦉 Tip: Read your query out loud before running it. If it sounds like the question you meant to ask, it's probably right.