SELECT * FROM MyView WHERE Lastname LIKE 'W%'
- Data Source - `MyView`: The `FROM MyView` clause indicates that the data is being retrieved from a view named `MyView`. A view in SQL is a virtual table based on the result-set of an SQL statement, serving to encapsulate the complexity of underlying queries.
- Data Projection - `SELECT *`: The `SELECT *` clause signifies that all columns from the `MyView` view will be included in the result set. The asterisk (`*`) is a wildcard character that represents all columns in the table or view.
- Filtering Criterion - `WHERE Lastname LIKE 'W%'`:This segment of the query applies a filter to the results:
- Column Specification: The column under scrutiny is `Lastname`.
- LIKE Operator: The `LIKE` operator is used to search for a specified pattern within a column.
- Pattern Specification - `'W%'`: The pattern `'W%'` is employed here. The percentage (`%`) is a wildcard character in SQL. When placed after the character `W`, it indicates that the query should retrieve all records where the `Lastname` column starts with the letter `W`, followed by zero or more of any characters.
The SQL statement in question is designed to extract all records from the `MyView` view where the `Lastname` begins with the letter `W`. This allows for efficient and targeted retrieval of data based on specific criteria, demonstrating the power and flexibility of SQL in filtering and presenting relevant data subsets.