Subqueries and Nested Queries Explained
1. Subqueries
A subquery is a query nested inside another query. It allows you to perform a query on the results of another query. Subqueries can be used in various parts of a SQL statement, such as the SELECT, FROM, WHERE, and HAVING clauses.
2. Nested Queries
Nested queries are a type of subquery where the inner query is executed first, and its results are used by the outer query. This can be particularly useful for filtering data based on the results of another query.
3. Types of Subqueries
There are several types of subqueries, including:
- Scalar Subqueries: Return a single value.
- Row Subqueries: Return a single row of values.
- Table Subqueries: Return a table of values.
4. Examples
Scalar Subquery
A scalar subquery returns a single value and can be used in places where a single value is expected, such as in the SELECT or WHERE clauses.
SELECT Name, Salary FROM Employees WHERE Salary > (SELECT AVG(Salary) FROM Employees);
In this example, the subquery (SELECT AVG(Salary) FROM Employees)
calculates the average salary, and the outer query selects employees whose salary is greater than this average.
Row Subquery
A row subquery returns a single row of values and can be used in places where a row of values is expected.
SELECT Name, Department FROM Employees WHERE (Salary, Department) = (SELECT MAX(Salary), Department FROM Employees GROUP BY Department);
Here, the subquery (SELECT MAX(Salary), Department FROM Employees GROUP BY Department)
returns the maximum salary and department for each department, and the outer query selects employees who match these values.
Table Subquery
A table subquery returns a table of values and can be used in the FROM clause.
SELECT Department, AVG(Salary) AS AvgSalary FROM (SELECT Department, Salary FROM Employees) AS DeptSalaries GROUP BY Department;
In this example, the subquery (SELECT Department, Salary FROM Employees)
creates a temporary table of department and salary, and the outer query calculates the average salary for each department.
5. Analogies
Think of a subquery as a question within a question. For instance, if you want to know which employees earn more than the average salary, you first need to find out what the average salary is (inner query), and then use that information to find the employees (outer query).
Insightful Value
Subqueries and nested queries are powerful tools in SQL that allow you to perform complex data manipulations and analyses. By mastering these concepts, you can write more efficient and effective SQL queries, making your database operations more streamlined and accurate.