Table of Contents

Overview
Data types
Database Console Commands
Functions
Language elements
Queries
Statements
Tutorial: Writing Transact-SQL Statements
Lesson 1: Creating Database Objects
Lesson 1-1 - Creating a Database
Lesson 1-2 - Creating a Table
Lesson 1-3 - Inserting and Updating Data in a Table
Lesson 1-4 - Reading the Data in a Table
Lesson 1-5 - Summary - Creating Database Objects
Lesson 2: Configuring Permissions on Database Objects
Lesson 2-1 - Creating a Login
Lesson 2-2 - Granting Access to a Database
Lesson 2-3 - Creating Views and Stored Procedures
Lesson 2-4 - Granting Access to a Database Object
Lesson 2-5 - Summary - Configuring Permissions on Database Objects
Lesson 3: Deleting Database Objects
Lesson 3-1 - Deleting Database Objects
 Transact-SQL Reference (Database Engine)
4/6/2017 2 min to read Edit Online

THIS TOPIC APPLIES TO: SQL Server (starting with 2008) Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Data
Warehouse Parallel Data Warehouse
This topic gives the basics about how to find and use the Microsoft Transact-SQL (T-SQL) reference topics. T-SQL is
central to using Microsoft SQL products and services. All tools and applications that communicate with a SQL
database do so by sending T-SQL commands.

Tools that use T-SQL

Some of the Microsoft tools that issue T-SQL commands are:
SQL Server Management Studio
SQL Server Data Tools.
sqlcmd.

Locate the Transact-SQL reference topics

To find T-SQL topics, use search at the top right of this page, or use the table of contents on the left side of the
page. You can also type a T-SQL key word in the Management Studio Query Editor window, and press F1.

Find system views

To find the system tables, views, functions, and procedures, see these links which are in the Using relational
databases section of the SQL documentation.
System catalog Views
System compatibility views
System dynamic management views
System functions
System information schema views
System stored procedures
System tables

"Applies to" references

The T-SQL reference topics encompass multiple versions of SQL Server, starting with 2008, as well as the other
Azure SQL services. Near the top of each topic is a section that indicates which products and services support
subject of the topic.
For example, this topic applies to all versions, and has the following label.
THIS TOPIC APPLIES TO: SQL Server (starting with 2008) Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Data
Warehouse Parallel Data Warehouse
Another example, the following label indicates a topic that applies only to Azure SQL Data Warehouse and Parallel
Data Warehouse.
THIS TOPIC APPLIES TO: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Data Warehouse Parallel Data
Warehouse
In some cases, the topic is used by a product or service, but all of the arguments are not supported. In this case,
additional Applies to sections are inserted into the appropriate argument descriptions in the body of the topic.

Get help from the MSDN forum

For online help, see the MSDN Transact-SQL Forum.

See other language references

The SQL docs include these other language references:
XQuery Language Reference
Integration Services Language Reference
Replication Language Reference
Analysis Services Language Reference

Next steps
Now that you understand how to find the T-SQL reference topics, you are ready to:
Work through a short tutorial about how to write T-SQL, see Tutorial: Writing Transact-SQL Statements.
View the Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions (Transact-SQL).
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 Tutorial: Writing Transact-SQL Statements
3/24/2017 2 min to read Edit Online

Welcome to the Writing Transact-SQL Statements tutorial. This tutorial is intended for users who are new to
writing SQL statements. It will help new users get started by reviewing some basic statements for creating tables
and inserting data. This tutorial uses Transact-SQL, the Microsoft implementation of the SQL standard. This tutorial
is intended as a brief introduction to the Transact-SQL language and not as a replacement for a Transact-SQL class.
The statements in this tutorial are intentionally simple, and are not meant to represent the complexity found in a
typical production database.

NOTE: If you are a beginner you might find it easier to use SQL Server Management Studio instead of writing
Transact-SQL statements.

Finding More Information

To find more information about any specific statement, either search for the statement by name in SQL Server
Books Online, or use the Contents to browse the 1,800 language elements listed alphabetically under Transact-SQL
Reference (Database Engine). Another good strategy for finding information is to search for key words that are
related to the subject matter you are interested in. For example, if you want to know how to return a part of a date
(such as the month), search the index for dates [SQL Server], and then select dateparts. This takes you to the
topic DATEPART (Transact-SQL). As another example, to find out how to work with strings, search for string
functions. This takes you to the topic String Functions (Transact-SQL).

What You Will Learn

This tutorial shows you how to create a database, create a table in the database, insert data into the table, update
the data, read the data, delete the data, and then delete the table. You will create views and stored procedures and
configure a user to the database and the data.
This tutorial is divided into three lessons:
Lesson 1: Creating Database Objects
In this lesson, you create a database, create a table in the database, insert data into the table, update the data, and
read the data.
Lesson 2: Configuring Permissions on Database Objects
In this lesson, you create a login and user. You will also create a view and a stored procedure, and then grant the
user permission to the stored procedure.
Lesson 3: Deleting Database Objects
In this lesson, you remove access to data, delete data from a table, delete the table, and then delete the database.

Requirements
To complete this tutorial, you do not have to know the SQL language, but you should understand basic database
concepts such as tables. During this tutorial, you will create a database and create a Windows user. These tasks
require a high level of permissions; therefore, you should log in to the computer as an administrator.
Your system must have the following installed:
Any edition of SQL Server.
SQL Server Management Studio
 Lesson 1: Creating Database Objects
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

This lesson shows you how to create a database, create a table in the database, and then access and change the
data in the table. Because this lesson is an introduction to using Transact-SQL, it does not use or describe the many
options that are available for these statements.
Transact-SQL statements can be written and submitted to the Database Engine in the following ways:
By using SQL Server Management Studio. This tutorial assumes that you are using Management Studio, but
you can also use Management Studio Express, which is available as a free download from the Microsoft
Download Center.
By using the sqlcmd utility.
By connecting from an application that you create.
The code executes on the Database Engine in the same way and with the same permissions, regardless of how you
submit the code statements.
To run Transact-SQL statements in Management Studio, open Management Studio and connect to an instance of
the SQL Server Database Engine.
This lesson contains the following topics:
Creating a Database (Tutorial)
Creating a Table (Tutorial)
Inserting and Updating Data in a Table (Tutorial)
Reading the Data in a Table (Tutorial)
Summary: Creating Database Objects

Next Task in Lesson

Creating a Database (Tutorial)
 Lesson 1-1 - Creating a Database
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

Like many Transact-SQL statements, the CREATE DATABASE statement has a required parameter: the name of the
database. CREATE DATABASE also has many optional parameters, such as the disk location where you want to put
the database files. When you execute CREATE DATABASE without the optional parameters, SQL Server uses default
values for many of these parameters. This tutorial uses very few of the optional syntax parameters.
To create a database
1. In a Query Editor window, type but do not execute the following code:

CREATE DATABASE TestData

GO

2. Use the pointer to select the words CREATE DATABASE , and then press F1. The CREATE DATABASE topic in
SQL Server Books Online should open. You can use this technique to find the complete syntax for CREATE
DATABASE and for the other statements that are used in this tutorial.
3. In Query Editor, press F5 to execute the statement and create a database named TestData .
When you create a database, SQL Server makes a copy of the model database, and renames the copy to the
database name. This operation should only take several seconds, unless you specify a large initial size of the
database as an optional parameter.

NOTE
The keyword GO separates statements when more than one statement is submitted in a single batch. GO is optional when
the batch contains only one statement.

Next Task in Lesson

Creating a Table (Tutorial)

See Also
CREATE DATABASE (SQL Server Transact-SQL)
 Lesson 1-2 - Creating a Table
3/24/2017 2 min to read Edit Online

THIS TOPIC APPLIES TO: SQL Server (starting with 2008) Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Data
Warehouse Parallel Data Warehouse
To create a table, you must provide a name for the table, and the names and data types of each column in the table.
It is also a good practice to indicate whether null values are allowed in each column. To create a table, you must
have the CREATE TABLE permission, and the ALTER SCHEMA permission on the schema that will contain the table.
The db_ddladmin fixed database role has these permissions.
Most tables have a primary key, made up of one or more columns of the table. A primary key is always unique. The
Database Engine will enforce the restriction that any primary key value cannot be repeated in the table.
For a list of data types and links for a description of each, see Data Types (Transact-SQL).

NOTE
The Database Engine can be installed as case sensitive or non-case sensitive. If the Database Engine is installed as case
sensitive, object names must always have the same case. For example, a table named OrderData is a different table from a
table named ORDERDATA. If the Database Engine is installed as non-case sensitive, those two table names are considered to
be the same table, and that name can only be used one time.

To create a database to contain the new table

Enter the following code into a Query Editor window.

USE master;
GO

--Delete the TestData database if it exists.

IF EXISTS(SELECT * from sys.databases WHERE name='TestData')
BEGIN
DROP DATABASE TestData;
END

--Create a new database called TestData.

CREATE DATABASE TestData;
Press the F5 key to execute the code and create the database.

Switch the Query Editor connection to the TestData database

In a Query Editor window, type and execute the following code to change your connection to the TestData
database.

USE TestData
GO

To create a table
In a Query Editor window, type and execute the following code to create a simple table named Products .
The columns in the table are named ProductID , ProductName , Price , and ProductDescription . The
ProductID column is the primary key of the table. int , varchar(25) , money , and text are all data types.
Only the Price and ProductionDescription columns can have no data when a row is inserted or changed.
 This statement contains an optional element ( dbo. ) called a schema. The schema is the database object that
owns the table. If you are an administrator, dbo is the default schema. dbo stands for database owner.

CREATE TABLE dbo.Products

(ProductID int PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
ProductName varchar(25) NOT NULL,
Price money NULL,
ProductDescription text NULL)
GO

Next Task in Lesson

Inserting and Updating Data in a Table (Tutorial)

See Also
CREATE TABLE (Transact-SQL)
 Lesson 1-3 - Inserting and Updating Data in a Table
3/24/2017 2 min to read Edit Online

Now that you have created the Products table, you are ready to insert data into the table by using the INSERT
statement. After the data is inserted, you will change the content of a row by using an UPDATE statement. You will
use the WHERE clause of the UPDATE statement to restrict the update to a single row. The four statements will
enter the following data.

PRODUCTID PRODUCTNAME PRICE PRODUCTDESCRIPTION

1 Clamp 12.48 Workbench clamp

50 Screwdriver 3.17 Flat head

75 Tire Bar Tool for changing tires.

3000 3mm Bracket .52

The basic syntax is: INSERT, table name, column list, VALUES, and then a list of the values to be inserted. The two
hyphens in front of a line indicate that the line is a comment and the text will be ignored by the compiler. In this
case, the comment describes a permissible variation of the syntax.
To insert data into a table
1. Execute the following statement to insert a row into the Products table that was created in the previous
task. This is the basic syntax.

-- Standard syntax
INSERT dbo.Products (ProductID, ProductName, Price, ProductDescription)
VALUES (1, 'Clamp', 12.48, 'Workbench clamp')
GO

2. The following statement shows how you can change the order in which the parameters are provided by
switching the placement of the ProductID and ProductName in both the field list (in parentheses) and in the
values list.

-- Changing the order of the columns

INSERT dbo.Products (ProductName, ProductID, Price, ProductDescription)
VALUES ('Screwdriver', 50, 3.17, 'Flat head')
GO

3. The following statement demonstrates that the names of the columns are optional, as long as the values are
listed in the correct order. This syntax is common but is not recommended because it might be harder for
others to understand your code. NULL is specified for the Price column because the price for this product
is not yet known.

-- Skipping the column list, but keeping the values in order

INSERT dbo.Products
VALUES (75, 'Tire Bar', NULL, 'Tool for changing tires.')
GO
4. The schema name is optional as long as you are accessing and changing a table in your default schema.
Because the ProductDescription column allows null values and no value is being provided, the
ProductDescription column name and value can be dropped from the statement completely.

-- Dropping the optional dbo and dropping the ProductDescription column

INSERT Products (ProductID, ProductName, Price)
VALUES (3000, '3mm Bracket', .52)
GO

To update the products table

1. Type and execute the following UPDATE statement to change the ProductName of the second product from
Screwdriver , to Flat Head Screwdriver .

UPDATE dbo.Products
SET ProductName = 'Flat Head Screwdriver'
WHERE ProductID = 50
GO

Next Task in Lesson

Reading the Data in a Table (Tutorial)

See Also
INSERT (Transact-SQL)
UPDATE (Transact-SQL)
 Lesson 1-4 - Reading the Data in a Table
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

Use the SELECT statement to read the data in a table. The SELECT statement is one of the most important Transact-
SQL statements, and there are many variations in the syntax. For this tutorial, you will work with five simple
versions.
To read the data in a table
1. Type and execute the following statements to read the data in the Products table.

-- The basic syntax for reading data from a single table

SELECT ProductID, ProductName, Price, ProductDescription
FROM dbo.Products
GO

2. You can use an asterisk to select all the columns in the table. This is often used in ad hoc queries. You should
provide the column list in you permanent code so that the statement will return the predicted columns, even
if a new column is added to the table later.

-- Returns all columns in the table

-- Does not use the optional schema, dbo
SELECT * FROM Products
GO

3. You can omit columns that you do not want to return. The columns will be returned in the order that they
are listed.

-- Returns only two of the columns from the table

SELECT ProductName, Price
FROM dbo.Products
GO

4. Use a WHERE clause to limit the rows that are returned to the user.

-- Returns only two of the records in the table

SELECT ProductID, ProductName, Price, ProductDescription
FROM dbo.Products
WHERE ProductID < 60
GO

5. You can work with the values in the columns as they are returned. The following example performs a
mathematical operation on the Price column. Columns that have been changed in this way will not have a
name unless you provide one by using the AS keyword.

-- Returns ProductName and the Price including a 7% tax

-- Provides the name CustomerPays for the calculated column
SELECT ProductName, Price * 1.07 AS CustomerPays
FROM dbo.Products
GO
Functions That Are Useful in a SELECT Statement
For information about some functions that you can use to work with data in SELECT statements, see the following
topics:

String Functions (Transact-SQL) Date and Time Data Types and Functions (Transact-SQL)

Mathematical Functions (Transact-SQL) Text and Image Functions (Transact-SQL)

Next Task in Lesson

Summary: Creating Database Objects

See Also
SELECT (Transact-SQL)
 Lesson 1-5 - Summary - Creating Database Objects
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

In this tutorial you have created a database, created a table in the database, inserted data into the table, changed
the data, and then read the data from the table. The syntax for the statements that were used is only the basic
syntax and many syntax options were not covered in this tutorial. To learn more about these statements, read the
complete syntax for the statements in SQL Server Books Online, and review the many examples that are provided
in those topics.

Next Lesson
Lesson 2: Configuring Permissions on Database Objects

See Also
CREATE DATABASE (SQL Server Transact-SQL)
 Lesson 2: Configuring Permissions on Database
Objects
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

Granting a user access to a database involves three steps. First, you create a login. The login lets the user connect
to the SQL Server Database Engine. Then you configure the login as a user in the specified database. And finally,
you grant that user permission to database objects. This lesson shows you these three steps, and shows you how
to create a view and a stored procedure as the object.
This lesson contains the following topics:
Creating a Login
Granting Access to a Database
Creating Views and Stored Procedures
Granting Access to a Database Object
Summary: Configuring Permissions on Database Objects

Next Task in Lesson

Creating a Login
 Lesson 2-1 - Creating a Login
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

To access the Database Engine, users require a login. The login can represent the user's identity as a Windows
account or as a member of a Windows group, or the login can be a SQL Server login that exists only in SQL Server.
Whenever possible you should use Windows Authentication.
By default, administrators on your computer have full access to SQL Server. For this lesson, we want to have a less
privileged user; therefore, you will create a new local Windows Authentication account on your computer. To do
this, you must be an administrator on your computer. Then you will grant that new user access to SQL Server.
To create a new Windows account
1. Click Start, click Run, in the Open box, type %SystemRoot%\system32\compmgmt.msc /s, and then
click OK to open the Computer Management program.
2. Under System Tools, expand Local Users and Groups, right-click Users, and then click New User.
3. In the User name box type Mary.
4. In the Password and Confirm password box, type a strong password, and then click Create to create a
new local Windows user.
To create a login
1. In a Query Editor window of SQL Server Management Studio, type and execute the following code replacing
computer_name with the name of your computer. FROM WINDOWS indicates that Windows will authenticate the
user. The optional DEFAULT_DATABASE argument connects Mary to the TestData database, unless her
connection string indicates another database. This statement introduces the semicolon as an optional
termination for a Transact-SQL statement.

CREATE LOGIN [computer_name\Mary]

FROM WINDOWS
WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE = [TestData];
GO

This authorizes a user name Mary , authenticated by your computer, to access this instance of SQL Server. If
there is more than one instance of SQL Server on the computer, you must create the login on each instance
that Mary must access.

NOTE
Because Mary is not a domain account, this user name can only be authenticated on this computer.

Next Task in Lesson

Granting Access to a Database

See Also
CREATE LOGIN (Transact-SQL)
Choose an Authentication Mode
 Lesson 2-2 - Granting Access to a Database
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

Mary now has access to this instance of SQL Server, but does not have permission to access the databases. She
does not even have access to her default database TestData until you authorize her as a database user.
To grant Mary access, switch to the TestData database, and then use the CREATE USER statement to map her login
to a user named Mary.
To create a user in a database
1. Type and execute the following statements (replacing computer_name with the name of your computer) to
grant Mary access to the TestData database.

USE [TestData];
GO

CREATE USER [Mary] FOR LOGIN [computer_name\Mary];

GO

Now, Mary has access to both SQL Server and the TestData database.

Next Task in Lesson

Creating Views and Stored Procedures
 Lesson 2-3 - Creating Views and Stored Procedures
3/24/2017 2 min to read Edit Online

Now that Mary can access the TestData database, you may want to create some database objects, such as a view
and a stored procedure, and then grant Mary access to them. A view is a stored SELECT statement, and a stored
procedure is one or more Transact-SQL statements that execute as a batch.
Views are queried like tables and do not accept parameters. Stored procedures are more complex than views.
Stored procedures can have both input and output parameters and can contain statements to control the flow of
the code, such as IF and WHILE statements. It is good programming practice to use stored procedures for all
repetitive actions in the database.
For this example, you will use CREATE VIEW to create a view that selects only two of the columns in the Products
table. Then, you will use CREATE PROCEDURE to create a stored procedure that accepts a price parameter and
returns only those products that cost less than the specified parameter value.
To create a view
1. Execute the following statement to create a very simple view that executes a select statement, and returns
the names and prices of our products to the user.

CREATE VIEW vw_Names

AS
SELECT ProductName, Price FROM Products;
GO

Test the view

1. Views are treated just like tables. Use a SELECT statement to access a view.

SELECT * FROM vw_Names;

GO

To create a stored procedure

1. The following statement creates a stored procedure name pr_Names , accepts an input parameter named
@VarPrice of data type money . The stored procedure prints the statement Products less than
concatenated with the input parameter that is changed from the money data type into a varchar(10)
character data type. Then, the procedure executes a SELECT statement on the view, passing the input
parameter as part of the WHERE clause. This returns all products that cost less than the input parameter
value.

CREATE PROCEDURE pr_Names @VarPrice money

AS
BEGIN
-- The print statement returns text to the user
PRINT 'Products less than ' + CAST(@VarPrice AS varchar(10));
-- A second statement starts here
SELECT ProductName, Price FROM vw_Names
WHERE Price < @varPrice;
END
GO

Test the stored procedure

1. To test the stored procedure, type and execute the following statement. The procedure should return the
names of the two products entered into the Products table in Lesson 1 with a price that is less than 10.00 .

EXECUTE pr_Names 10.00;

GO

Next Task in Lesson

Granting Access to a Database Object

See Also
CREATE VIEW (Transact-SQL)
CREATE PROCEDURE (Transact-SQL)
 Lesson 2-4 - Granting Access to a Database Object
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

As an administrator, you can execute the SELECT from the Products table and the vw_Names view, and execute
the pr_Names procedure; however, Mary cannot. To grant Mary the necessary permissions, use the GRANT
statement.
Procedure Title
1. Execute the following statement to give Mary the EXECUTE permission for the pr_Names stored procedure.

GRANT EXECUTE ON pr_Names TO Mary;

GO

In this scenario, Mary can only access the Products table by using the stored procedure. If you want Mary to be
able to execute a SELECT statement against the view, then you must also execute
GRANT SELECT ON vw_Names TO Mary . To remove access to database objects, use the REVOKE statement.

NOTE
If the table, the view, and the stored procedure are not owned by the same schema, granting permissions becomes more
complex.

About GRANT
You must have EXECUTE permission to execute a stored procedure. You must have SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and
DELETE permissions to access and change data. The GRANT statement is also used for other permissions, such as
permission to create tables.

Next Task in Lesson

Summary: Configuring Permissions on Database Objects

See Also
GRANT (Transact-SQL)
REVOKE (Transact-SQL)
 Lesson 2-5 - Summary - Configuring Permissions on
Database Objects
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

Logins give users permissions to connect to SQL Server. Users are logins that can access a specific database. Use
the GRANT statement to give users permission to read and to access and change the data.
A view is a single SELECT statement and looks like a table to the user. A stored procedure is one or more Transact-
SQL statements that execute as a batch.

Next Lesson in Tutorial

Lesson 3: Deleting Database Objects
 Lesson 3: Deleting Database Objects
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

This short lesson removes the objects that you created in Lesson 1 and Lesson 2, and then drops the database.
This lesson contains one topic:
Deleting Database Objects

Next Task in Lesson

Deleting Database Objects
 Lesson 3-1 - Deleting Database Objects
3/24/2017 1 min to read Edit Online

To remove all traces of this tutorial, you could just delete the database. However, in this topic, you will go through
the steps to reverse every action you took doing the tutorial.
Removing permissions and objects
1. Before you delete objects, make sure you are in the correct database:

USE TestData;
GO

2. Use the REVOKE statement to remove execute permission for Mary on the stored procedure:

REVOKE EXECUTE ON pr_Names FROM Mary;

GO

3. Use the DROP statement to remove permission for Mary to access the TestData database:

DROP USER Mary;

GO

4. Use the DROP statement to remove permission for Mary to access this instance of SQL Server 2005:

DROP LOGIN [<computer_name>\Mary];

GO

5. Use the DROP statement to remove the store procedure pr_Names :

DROP PROC pr_Names;

GO

6. Use the DROP statement to remove the view vw_Names :

DROP View vw_Names;

GO

7. Use the DELETE statement to remove all rows from the Products table:

DELETE FROM Products;

GO

8. Use the DROP statement to remove the Products table:

DROP Table Products;

GO
9. You cannot remove the TestData database while you are in the database; therefore, first switch context to
another database, and then use the DROP statement to remove the TestData database:

USE MASTER;
GO
DROP DATABASE TestData;
GO

This concludes the Writing Transact-SQL Statements tutorial. Remember, this tutorial is a brief overview and it
does not describe all the options to the statements that are used. Designing and creating an efficient database
structure and configuring secure access to the data requires a more complex database than that shown in this
tutorial.

Return to SQL Server Tools Portal

Tutorial: Writing Transact-SQL Statements

See Also
REVOKE (Transact-SQL)
DROP USER (Transact-SQL)
DROP LOGIN (Transact-SQL)
DROP PROCEDURE (Transact-SQL)
DROP VIEW (Transact-SQL)
DELETE (Transact-SQL)
DROP TABLE (Transact-SQL)
DROP DATABASE (Transact-SQL)