Having just learned the basics of the database design process, this chapter provides a primer on the core SQL syntax, which you will use to create and manipulate your MySQL database tables. This is a very hands-on chapter, and it assumes that you are able to issue queries through the MySQL monitor on Windows or Linux/Unix. Alternatively, if you use a GUI to MySQL, this chapter assumes you know the methods for issuing queries through those interfaces.
In this chapter, you will learn
The basic MySQL datatypes
How to use the CREATE TABLE command to create a table
How to use the INSERT command to enter records
How to use the SELECT command to retrieve records
How to use basic functions, the WHERE clause, and the GROUP BY clause in SELECT expressions
How to select from multiple tables, using JOIN
How to use the UPDATE and REPLACE commands to modify existing records
How to use the DELETE command to remove records
How to use string functions built into MySQL
How to use date and time functions built into MySQL