SQL quick reference

Updated 2026-02-14

SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, JOINs, WHERE, GROUP BY, and more. Standard SQL syntax for quick lookup.

SELECT and WHERE

SELECT col1, col2 FROM t; SELECT * FROM t; SELECT col AS alias FROM t; SELECT DISTINCT col FROM t; LIMIT 10 OFFSET 20. WHERE col = 'value'; AND / OR; IN (1,2,3); BETWEEN 1 AND 10; LIKE 'a%' (% any, _ one); IS NULL / IS NOT NULL.

JOINs

INNER JOIN b ON a.id = b.a_id. LEFT JOIN (all left + match or NULL). RIGHT JOIN. FULL OUTER JOIN. CROSS JOIN (cartesian).

GROUP BY, ORDER BY, aggregates

GROUP BY col; HAVING COUNT(*) > 1. ORDER BY col ASC, col2 DESC. COUNT(*), COUNT(col), SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX.

INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE

INSERT INTO t (c1,c2) VALUES ('a',1), (2,3); UPDATE t SET c1='x' WHERE id=1; DELETE FROM t WHERE id=1. Always use WHERE for UPDATE/DELETE.

Other

CREATE TABLE t (id INT PRIMARY KEY, name VARCHAR(255)); CREATE INDEX idx ON t(col); Subquery: WHERE col IN (SELECT id FROM b); UNION / UNION ALL.