SQL: Queries, Constraints, Triggers
Structured Query Language
CS430/630
Lecture 4
Slides based on “Database Management Systems” 3rd ed, Ramakrishnan and Gehrke
Relational Query Language: SQL
Supports simple, yet powerful querying of data.
Precise semantics for relational queries.
DML (Data Manipulation Language)
DDL (Data Definition Language)
SQL developed by IBM (system R) in the 1970s
Standards:
SQL-86
SQL-89 (minor revision)
SQL-92 (major revision)
SQL-99 (major extensions, triggers, recursive queries)
SQL 2003 (XML), 2006, 2008, 2011
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SQL Data Types
Character strings
CHAR(n), VARCHAR(n): fixed and variable-length strings
Bits
BOOLEAN – values TRUE, FALSE, UNKNOWN
BIT(n)
Numerical:
INTEGER (INT)
Floating point: FLOAT (or REAL), DOUBLE PRECISION
Fixed precision: DECIMAL(n,d)
1234.56 is of type DECIMAL(6,2), precision 6, scale 2
DATE and TIME
3
Creating Relations in SQL
CREATE TABLE Students
(sid CHAR(20),
name CHAR(20),
login CHAR(10),
age INTEGER,
gpa REAL);
CREATE TABLE Enrolled
(sid CHAR(20),
cid CHAR(20),
grade CHAR(2));
DDL
4
DDL
Destroying and Altering Relations
Deletes relation Students, including schema information and
all the tuples
DROP TABLE Students;
ALTER TABLE Students
ADD firstYear INTEGER;
Add new column to schema
Every tuple is extended with NULL value in added field
Default value may be specified instead of NULL
DDL
DDL
5
Structure of SQL SELECT Query
relation-list = list of relation names
possibly with a range-variable after each name
target-list = list of attributes of relations in relation-list
qualification = conditions Attr op const or Attr1 op Attr2
op is one of , or string operators
Expressions connected using AND, OR and NOT
DISTINCT = optional, eliminates duplicates
By default duplicates are NOT eliminated!
SELECT [DISTINCT] target-list
FROM relation-list
WHERE qualification
,,,,,
Conceptual Evaluation Strategy
Semantics of SQL query
1. Compute the cross-product of relation-list
2. Discard resulting tuples if they fail qualifications
3. Delete attributes that are not in target-list
4. If DISTINCT is specified, eliminate duplicate rows
This strategy is least efficient way to compute a query!
Optimizer finds efficient strategies to compute the same result
Example Schema
sid sname rating age
22 dustin 7 45.0
31 lubber 8 55.5
58 rusty 10 35.0
sid bid day
22 101 10/10/96
58 103 11/12/96
Reserves
Sailors
bid name color
101 interlake red
103 clipper green
Boats
Conceptual Evaluation Example
SELECT S.sname
FROM Sailors S, Reserves R
WHERE S.sid=R.sid AND R.bid=103
(sid) sname rating age (sid) bid day
22 dustin 7 45.0 22 101 10/10/96
22 dustin 7 45.0 58 103 11/12/96
31 lubber 8 55.5 22 101 10/10/96
31 lubber 8 55.5 58 103 11/12/96
58 rusty 10 35.0 22 101 10/10/96
58 rusty 10 35.0 58 103 11/12/96
A Note on Range Variables
Really needed only if the same relation appears twice in
the FROM clause (SELECT … FROM Sailors S1, Sailors S2)
SELECT S.sname
FROM Sailors S, Reserves R
WHERE S.sid=R.sid AND R.bid=103
SELECT sname
FROM Sailors, Reserves
WHERE Sailors.sid=Reserves.sid AND bid=103
It is good style,
however, to use
range variables
always!
Instead of …
Duplicate Tuples and DISTINCT
Would adding DISTINCT to this query make a difference?
What is the effect of replacing S.sname by S.sid in the
SELECT clause?
Would adding DISTINCT to this variant of the query
make a difference?
SELECT S.sname
FROM Sailors S, Reserves R
WHERE S.sid=R.sid
Expressions and Strings
“Find rating and number of years to retirement for sailors whose
names begin with ‘d’, end with ‘n’ and contain at least three
characters”
AS allows to (re)name fields in result.
LIKE is used for string matching
_ stands for any one character
% stands for 0 or more arbitrary characters
SELECT S.rating, 60 – S.age AS Yr_to_retire
FROM Sailors S
WHERE S.sname LIKE ‘d_%n’
Expressions and Strings – Example
Sailors
sid sname rating age
22 dustin 7 45.0
31 lubber 8 55.5
58 rusty 10 35.0
SELECT S.rating, 60 – S.age AS Yr_to_retire
FROM Sailors S
WHERE S.sname LIKE ‘d_%n’
rating Yr_to_retire
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Set Operations
UNION
compute the union of any two union-compatible sets of tuples
INTERSECT
compute the intersection of any two union-compatible sets of
tuples
EXCEPT or MINUS
Set difference of any two union-compatible sets of tuples
Duplicates eliminated by default!
UNION ALL, INTERSECT ALL, EXCEPT ALL retain duplicates
Contrast with non-set SQL operations
Adding and Deleting Tuples
Insert single tuple
INSERT INTO Students (sid, name, login, age, gpa)
VALUES (‘53688’, ‘Smith’, ‘smith@ee’, 18, 3.2);
DELETE
FROM Students S
WHERE S.name = ‘Smith’;
Delete all tuples satisfying condition
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Data Modifications: Inserts
Values and attribute domains must match
Attributes not specified will be assigned value NULL
Variation: insert tuples returned by SELECT
INSERT INTO Table (attr1, attr2, …)
VALUES (val1, val2, …);
INSERT INTO Table (attr1, attr2, …)
SELECT col1, col2, …
FROM …
[WHERE …
GROUP BY …
HAVING … ];
Data Modifications: Updates
No new tuples created
Attribute values of existing tuples modified
Values and attribute domains must match
It is possible to use subqueries:
UPDATE Table
SET attr1=expression1, attr2=expression2 [,…]
WHERE condition;
UPDATE Table
SET attr1= (SELECT value1
FROM …
WHERE … )
WHERE condition;
Integrity Constraints (ICs)
IC: condition that must hold for any instance of the
database; e.g., domain constraints
Specified when schema is defined.
Checked when relations are modified.
A legal instance satisfies all specified ICs
It is the DBMS’s role to enforce IC
ICs we study
Primary key constraints
Foreign key constraints
Referential integrity
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Primary and Candidate Keys in SQL
Primary keys specified by keyword PRIMARY KEY
Candidate keys specified by keyword UNIQUE
Distinctions between the two:
Any attribute in the primary key is NOT allowed to have NULL
values
Primary key attributes may have special roles in the DBMS internals
(although from the logical point of view is same as unique)
Declaration
In-line with the respective attribute
Only if one-attribute key!
Or as separate constraint line
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Keys in SQL – Examples
Schema and Instance
Enrolled
sid cid grade
53666 114 A
53650 115 B
53666 115 B
Students Courses
sid sname age
53666 Smith 20
53650 Jones 25
53681 Adams 22
cid cname room
114 Calculus M123
115 Databases M234
Keys in SQL – Examples
CREATE TABLE Enrolled
(sid CHAR(20),
cid CHAR(20),
grade CHAR(2),
PRIMARY KEY (sid,cid))
“For a given student and course,
there is a single grade.”
“Students can take only one course,
and receive a single grade for that
course; further, no two students in
a course receive the same grade.”
CREATE TABLE Enrolled
(sid CHAR(20) PRIMARY KEY,
cid CHAR(20),
grade CHAR(2),
UNIQUE (cid, grade) )
Foreign Keys, Referential Integrity
Foreign key
Set of fields in relation A that refer to a tuple in relation B
Must correspond to primary key of relation B (or UNIQUE)
Not necessary for field names in A and B to be the same!!!
FOREIGN KEY (attr1) REFERENCES B (attr2)
E.g. sid in Enrolled is a foreign key referring to Students:
Enrolled(sid: string, cid: string, grade: string)
Referential integrity is achieved by enforcing all foreign keys
no “dangling references”
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Foreign Keys in SQL
Only students listed in the Students relation should be
allowed to enroll for courses
CREATE TABLE Enrolled
(sid CHAR(20), cid CHAR(20), grade CHAR(2),
PRIMARY KEY (sid,cid),
FOREIGN KEY (sid) REFERENCES Students )
Enrolled Students
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sid cid grade
53666 114 A
53650 115 B
53666 115 B
sid sname age
53666 Smith 20
53650 Jones 25
53681 Adams 22