Chapter 4 QUERYING AND MODIFYING DATA 193 INTRODUCTION
Chapter 4 QUERYING AND MODIFYING DATA 193 INTRODUCTION After data is in the database, it is inevitable that the data will need to be accessed, changed, and reported on. To perform these basic operations, you need to be able to apply the programming constructs of Structured Query Language (SQL) specifically, Microsoft s implementation referred to as Transact-SQL (T-SQL). Understanding how to access and modify data is vital for any developer, beginner, or expert. This chapter discusses the not-so-tough topics of querying and modifying data, and then proceeds to the more advanced topics of data retrieval and modification. DATA RETRIEVAL Two utilities are built into SQL Server to allow for the interactive use of T-SQL. SQL Query Analyzer and the OSQL utility support using T-SQL interactively to view, process, and modify data. A third utility, the BCP utility, could be used to import or export large amounts of data. SQL Query Analyzer and OSQL are used to: Execute T-SQL statements. Save the resultsets in a file. Show the results of a query to the user. With SQL Query Analyzer, you can connect concurrently to numerous instances of SQL Server. However, the OSQL and BCP utilities enable you to work with only one instance at a time. Queries in SQL Server refer to a set of T-SQL statements that are issued to the database to retrieve data. The most common method of data retrieval is using the SELECT T-SQL statement. The SELECT statement is the basis for the majority of the activity performed in data retrieval. It is the first statement for a SQL developer to master, as its use is varied and can involve many options.
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