Informix Structured Query Language

Introduction to Structured Query Language Define the term Structured Query Language (SQL) Identify the different categories of SQL statements Identify the topics covered in this course Informix Data Types List and describe the Informix data types The Demonstration Database Describe the major concepts of relational databases Identify the tables in the stores_demo database Identify the relationships between these tables Install a copy of this database Use DB-Access to edit and run queries Single Table SELECT Statements Write a single table SELECT statement List the optional clauses of a SELECT statement Use the WHERE clause Use the ORDER BY clause SELECT Clauses and Aggregates Recognize arithmetic expressions Use aggregate functions in a SELECT statement Use the GROUP BY clause Use the HAVING clause Put SELECT data into a temporary table with the INTO TEMP clause Use NULL values in expressions Built-In Functions Use date and time functions Convert DATE or DATETIME values to character strings Perform case-insensitive searches Use string manipulation functions Use the concatenation operator Remove leading and trailing characters Use numeric functions Write conditional expressions Joining Tables in a SELECT Statement Access data from two or more tables with SELECT Avoid a Cartesian product Assign aliases to table names Complex Joins Describe the differences between inner and outer joins Describe the different types of outer joins Use various types of complex joins in queries Describe the purpose of a self join and use in a query Use the UNION operator in an SQL statement Subqueries Write queries that use subqueries Write a SELECT statement that uses nested subqueries Explain the purpose of a correlated subquery Temporary Tables Write queries that explicitly create temporary tables List reasons why temporary tables are needed in queries Use the WITH NO LOG option when creating temporary tables INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE Statements Write an INSERT statement to enter data into a table Write an UPDATE statement to change data in a table Write a DELETE statement to remove data from a table Write a LOAD statement to add rows into a table from a file Write an UNLOAD statement to create a file that contains data from a database Other SQL Features Use synonyms and views in place of tables in a query Access remote tables in a query Write queries to select and insert simple and smart large objects Explain how to query on tables that contain user-defined data types Explain how to use user-defined routines in a query SQL Optimization Explain the purpose of the Informix optimizer Define the choices of access paths available to the optimizer Describe the different types of indexes and their importance to query optimization Use SET EXPLAIN to obtain information about how a query is optimized Identify the choices made by the optimizer based on information written to the sqexplain.out file Use optimizer directives to influence the optimization path for a query