Querying Databases with T-SQL Data Filtering Basics

When working with relational databases, retrieving whole tables is rarely efficient or useful. To make data-driven decisions, you need to extract specific rows that meet precise business criteria. This course teaches you how to filter data effectively using Transact-SQL (T-SQL), the foundational querying language for SQL Server databases. You will start by mastering the fundamental structure of a query, understanding how database engines process your instructions, and defining key relational database terms before writing your first filter. From there, you will progress to constructing clear, performant queries that isolate exactly the information you need. What you will learn: Understand how the database engine executes SELECT and WHERE statements under the hood; Apply comparison operators to filter numeric, text, and date-based records; Combine multiple search criteria using logical operators like AND, OR, and NOT; Match complex text patterns using wildcards and the LIKE operator; Handle missing or unknown database values using NULL validation techniques; Practice writing clean, readable T-SQL code that follows modern industry formatting standards. This text-based course guides you step-by-step through database querying, starting with core terminology before moving to practical filtering scenarios and syntax practice. It is designed specifically for beginners who are new to database querying, with no prior SQL or programming experience required. Start writing precise, efficient T-SQL queries today.