SQL joins are used to combine rows from two or more tables.
SQL JOIN
An SQL JOIN clause is used to combine rows from two or more tables, based on a common field between them.
The most common type of join is: SQL INNER JOIN (simple join). An SQL INNER JOIN returns all rows from multiple tables where the join condition is met.
Let's look at a selection from the "Orders" table:
| OrderID | CustomerID | OrderDate |
|---|---|---|
| 10308 | 2 | 1996-09-18 |
| 10309 | 37 | 1996-09-19 |
| 10310 | 77 | 1996-09-20 |
Then, have a look at a selection from the "Customers" table:
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Germany |
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taqueria | Antonio Moreno | Mexico |
Notice that the "CustomerID" column in the "Orders" table refers to the "CustomerID" in the "Customers" table. The relationship between the two tables above is the "CustomerID" column.
Then, if we run the following SQL statement (that contains an INNER JOIN):
Example
SELECT Orders.OrderID, Customers.CustomerName, Orders.OrderDate
FROM
Orders
INNER JOIN Customers
ON Orders.CustomerID=Customers.CustomerID;
Try it Yourself »
it will produce something like this:
| OrderID | CustomerName | OrderDate |
|---|---|---|
| 10308 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | 9/18/1996 |
| 10365 | Antonio Moreno Taqueria | 11/27/1996 |
| 10383 | Around the Horn | 12/16/1996 |
| 10355 | Around the Horn | 11/15/1996 |
| 10278 | Berglunds snabbkop | 8/12/1996 |
Different SQL JOINs
Before we continue with examples, we will list the types of the different SQL JOINs you can use:
- INNER JOIN: Returns all rows when there is at least one match in BOTH tables
- LEFT JOIN: Return all rows from the left table, and the matched rows from the right table
- RIGHT JOIN: Return all rows from the right table, and the matched rows from the left table
- FULL JOIN: Return all rows when there is a match in ONE of the tables