0SQL WHERE Clause
The WHERE clause is used to filter records.
The SQL WHERE Clause
The WHERE clause is used to extract only those records that fulfill a specified criterion.
SQL WHERE Syntax
SELECT column_name,column_name
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name operator value;
Demo Database
In this tutorial we will use the well-known Northwind sample database.
Below is a selection from the "Customers" table:
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
| 1 | Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Obere Str. 57 | Berlin | 12209 | Germany |
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvägen 8 | Luleå | S-958 22 | Sweden |
WHERE Clause Example
The following SQL statement selects all the customers from the country "Mexico", in the "Customers" table:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE Country='Mexico';
Try it Yourself »
Text Fields vs. Numeric Fields
SQL requires single quotes around text values (most database systems will also allow double quotes).
However, numeric fields should not be enclosed in quotes:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerID=1;
Try it Yourself »
Operators in The WHERE Clause
The following operators can be used in the WHERE clause:
| Operator | Description |
| = | Equal |
| <> | Not equal. Note: In some versions of SQL this operator may be written as != |
| > | Greater than |
| < | Less than |
| >= | Greater than or equal |
| <= | Less than or equal |
| BETWEEN | Between an inclusive range |
| LIKE | Search for a pattern |
| IN | To specify multiple possible values for a column |
SQL AND & OR Operators
The AND & OR operators are used to filter records based on more than one condition.
The SQL AND & OR Operators
The AND operator displays a record if both the first condition AND the second condition are true.
The OR operator displays a record if either the first condition OR the second condition is true.
Demo Database
In this tutorial we will use the well-known Northwind sample database.
Below is a selection from the "Customers" table:
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
| 1 | Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Obere Str. 57 | Berlin | 12209 | Germany |
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvägen 8 | Luleå | S-958 22 | Sweden |
AND Operator Example
The following SQL statement selects all customers from the country "Germany" AND the city "Berlin", in the "Customers" table:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE Country='Germany'
AND City='Berlin';
Try it Yourself »
OR Operator Example
The following SQL statement selects all customers from the city "Berlin" OR "München", in the "Customers" table:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE City='Berlin'
OR City='München';
Try it Yourself »
Combining AND & OR
You can also combine AND and OR (use parenthesis to form complex expressions).
The following SQL statement selects all customers from the country "Germany" AND the city must be equal to "Berlin" OR "München", in the "Customers" table:
Example
SELECT * FROM Customers
WHERE Country='Germany'
AND (City='Berlin' OR City='München');
