Beginner’s Guide to T-SQL

Posted on by Aditya Bhuyan
T SQL

What is T-SQL?

Transact-SQL (T-SQL) is an extension of SQL (Structured Query Language) used in Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase ASE. It includes procedural programming, local variables, and various support functions for string processing, date processing, mathematics, etc.

Basic Syntax

Here are some essential elements of T-SQL syntax:

SELECT Statement

Used to query data from a database:

        SELECT column1, column2
        FROM table_name
        WHERE condition;

INSERT Statement

Used to insert new records into a table:

        INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2)
        VALUES (value1, value2);

UPDATE Statement

Used to modify existing records in a table:

        UPDATE table_name
        SET column1 = value1, column2 = value2
        WHERE condition;

DELETE Statement

Used to delete records from a table:

        DELETE FROM table_name
        WHERE condition;

Key Concepts

1. Data Types

Understanding data types is crucial for defining the type of data that can be stored in a column. Common data types include:

  • INT: Integer data type.
  • VARCHAR: Variable-length string.
  • DATE: Date value.
  • DECIMAL: Numeric data type with fixed precision and scale.

2. Functions

T-SQL includes a variety of built-in functions to perform operations on data:

  • GETDATE(): Returns the current date and time.
  • LEN(): Returns the length of a string.
  • SUBSTRING(): Extracts a substring from a string.
  • CONVERT(): Converts a value from one data type to another.

3. Joins

Joins are used to combine rows from two or more tables based on a related column:

  • INNER JOIN: Returns records that have matching values in both tables.
  • LEFT JOIN: Returns all records from the left table and matched records from the right table.
  • RIGHT JOIN: Returns all records from the right table and matched records from the left table.
  • FULL JOIN: Returns all records when there is a match in either left or right table.
        SELECT a.column1, b.column2
        FROM table1 a
        INNER JOIN table2 b ON a.common_field = b.common_field;

Best Practices

  • Use meaningful and descriptive names for tables and columns.
  • Always include a WHERE clause with UPDATE and DELETE statements to avoid unintentional changes.
  • Use comments to document your code for better readability and maintenance.
  • Normalize your database to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity.
  • Regularly back up your database to prevent data loss.

Resources

For further learning, consider the following resources:

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