SELECT

The SELECT clause defines the columns and expressions that will be returned in the results and is the only element that is required to form a valid T-SQL data retrieval statement. Elements in the SELECT statement can be as simple as a single constant value, or as complex as a full T-SQL sub-query, but generally it is a comma-separated list of columns from tables and views in a database.

The following query will return a single row with a single column:

 SELECT 1;

In the following screenshot we can see the result:

The SELECT clause can also be used to format the results by providing column aliases or using expressions to modify the data. Aliases are created with the optional keyword AS, followed by the intended column name to be displayed in the result set:

SELECT Name AS ProductName, LEFT(ProductNumber, 2) AS ProductCode, ISNULL(color, 'No Color') AS Color [...]

Note that, in the results, any row that has a value for Color will display that value, whereas any row that has a null color will display No Color instead: