Selecting columns and tables

The format of SQL queries requires you to select columns before you select tables.

To select columns, choose one of the following options:

• Type SELECT, followed by the names of the columns in the order that you want them to appear on the report. Use commas to separate the column names.

  For example, to select the DEPTNAME and DEPTNUMB columns, type SELECT DEPTNAME, DEPTNUMB

  To select all columns in the table, type SELECT *

• If you know the table from which you want to select data, but do not know all the column names, you can use the Draw function key on the SQL Query panel to display the column names.
  1. On the QMF command line, type the name of the table whose columns you want to see.

     For example, to find the names of the columns in the Q.ORG table, type Q.ORG. If you need to see a list of tables, use the LIST TABLES command.

  2. Press the Draw function key.

     QMF displays a query that selects all the columns for the table you specified:

     SELECT DEPTNUMB, DEPTNAME, MANAGER, DIVISION
          , LOCATION                             
                                                 
     FROM Q.ORG                                

  3. Leave the query as is, or change it to select a subset of data.
     For example, you can delete certain columns or specify criteria for selecting specific rows).