SQL joins are fundamental operations in relational databases, allowing us to combine data from multiple tables. Two of the most commonly used join types are INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN. Understanding the difference between these joins is crucial if you intend to use joins in your queries.
In this article, we’ll look at the difference between the INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN using a simple example.
The WHERE clause is a fundamental part of SQL queries that allows us to filter data based on specific conditions. Understanding how to use various operators within the WHERE clause can significantly enhance our ability to retrieve precisely the data we need.
This article explores some of the operators that are most commonly used with the WHERE clause.
In SQL, the self join is a join technique where we join a table with itself. Other join types will join a table with another table, but the self join simply joins with itself.
Self joins can be useful when working with hierarchical or recursive data within a single table.
Continue readingAnyone who looks at PostgreSQL’s list of mathematical functions will notice that there are some functions that have “scale” in their name. In particular, scale(), min_scale(), and trim_scale().
While these functions all have a similar name, they each have a different purpose. That said, they’re all related to the scale of the given number. The scale is the number of digits to the right of the decimal point in a number. For example, the number 1.95 has a scale of 2, and 1.958 has a scale of 3.
Continue readingIn SQL Server, a synonym is a database object that provides an alternative name for another database object, such as a table, view, stored procedure, or function. Synonyms act as aliases, allowing us to reference objects using different names without changing the underlying object itself.
The underlying object that the synonym references is typically referred to the base object. Either way, the synonym allows us to reference the base object without actually referring to its name (we refer to the synonym’s name instead).
Continue readingIn SQL, indexing can be a great way to improve query performance across our database. We can create indexes to support the most commonly used queries, and these indexes can help our queries run much faster.
But it’s not always a matter of just “adding an index” and leaving it at that. If we really want the best bang for our buck, we usually need to look at how best to implement the index. There are many decisions that go into designing the best index for the job. And one such decision might be, should this be a filtered index?
But what exactly is a filtered index, and how can it improve our database efficiency?
Let’s find out.
Continue readingA UNIQUE constraint is a rule we apply to one or more columns in a database table to ensure that the values in those columns are unique across all rows. This means that no two rows in the table can have the same value(s) in the column(s) where we’ve applied the UNIQUE constraint. It’s an essential tool for maintaining data integrity and preventing duplicate entries in our database.
When working with databases, performance can be very important. This is especially true in production environments where the end users expect their queries and reports to be generated within seconds (or even milliseconds).
While blistering fast queries may be the norm with smaller datasets, as our databases grow larger and more complex, it can become much more of a challenge to keep our queries nice and snappy. When working with smaller datasets, it’s often possible to get lightning speed results even when not optimizing for speed. But as the datasets grow larger, we need more efficient tools and techniques to retrieve and manipulate data. One such tool is the index.
Continue readingIn PostgreSQL, factorial() is a mathematical function that returns the factorial of a given integer. We pass the integer (it accepts bigint), and it returns the factorial as a numeric value.
In mathematics, the factorial is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to a given positive integer. It’s denoted by that integer and an exclamation point.
Continue readingIn PostgreSQL, we can use the || operator to concatenate two arrays. We can also use it to append or prepend a (compatible) non-array value to an array.