Tutor profile: Erika B.

Explain the anatomy of a sql statement

SQL statements have 3 main components. First, the SELECT portion of the statement contains the columns from the tables that you want to display as output to the query. Second, the FROM portion defines the database tables in which you will be selecting data from. Finally, the WHERE clause defines both the joins between the databases tables using foreign keys but also any criteria that will result in the outputted data being correct. SQL statements can have more advanced options, such as GROUP BY, ORDER BY, HAVING etc but all need a SELECT, FROM and WHERE clause.

Please explain to to set up a spreadsheet in MS Excel that will track money going Into and out of an account.

Excel is a good tool for tracking finances. In order to set this up, first you would need to create some column headings. These could include items such as transaction date, transaction description and transaction amount. Begin by inputting the starting balance of the account into the spreadsheet. A formula for a running balance can be created within the transaction details that uses the beginning (or running balance for transactions after the first) and either add or subtracts the transaction amount.

Please differentiate between a foreign key and a primary key in a database table.

A table's primary key is what makes the record in the table unique. This key can be one or a combination of a number of columns within the table that constitute uniqueness within the record. It is important to reference the primary key with attempting to do maintenance on the record so as to ensure the correct data is being maintained. A foreign key is a column in a database table that is used to link that table to another table within the database. For example, a table of people may link to a table of addresses via a person identifier. The use of this foreign key is important when joining more than one database table that have related data.