The MySQL SELECT Statement
The SELECT statement is used to select data from a database.
The data returned is stored in a result table, called the result-set.
The following SQL selects the "CustomerName", "City", and "Country" columns from the "Customers" table:
Example
SELECT CustomerName, City, Country FROM Customers;
SELECT Syntax
SELECT column1, column2, ...
FROM table_name;
Here, column1, column2, ... are the column names in the table you want to select data from.
The table_name represents the name of the table you want to select data from.
To select all columns, without specifying every column name, use the following syntax:
SELECT * FROM table_name;
Demo Database
In this tutorial we will use the well-known Northwind sample database.
Below is a selection from the "Customers" table in the Northwind sample database:
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Obere Str. 57 | Berlin | 12209 | Germany |
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvägen 8 | Luleå | S-958 22 | Sweden |
SELECT ALL Columns
To select ALL columns, without specifying every column name, use the SELECT * syntax:
The following SQL selects ALL the columns from the "Customers" table:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers;
