Chapter 3. MySQL SQL Syntax and Use

Fluency with SQL is necessary in order to communicate with the MySQL server. For example, when you use a program such as the mysql client, it functions primarily as a means for you to send SQL statements to the server to be executed. But you must also know SQL if you write programs that use the MySQL interface provided by your programming language because you'll still communicate with the server by sending SQL statements to it.

Chapter 1, "Introduction to MySQL and SQL," presented a tutorial introduction to many of MySQL's capabilities. This chapter builds on that material to go into more detail on several areas of SQL implemented by MySQL. It discusses how to refer to elements of databases, including the rules for naming and what case sensitivity constraints apply. It also describes many of the more important SQL statements, such as those for creating and destroying databases, tables, and indexes; statements for retrieving data using joins; and statements that provide information about your databases and tables. The discussion highlights some of the extensions that MySQL provides to standard SQL.