从数据库中检索行，并允许从一个或多个表中选择一个或多个行或列。虽然 SELECT 语句的完整语法较复杂，但是其主要的子句可归纳如下：

SELECT select_list

[ INTO new_table ]

FROM table_source

[ WHERE search_condition ]

[ GROUP BY group_by_expression ]

[ HAVING search_condition ]

[ ORDER BY order_expression [ ASC | DESC ] ]

可以在查询之间使用 UNION 运算符，以将查询的结果组合成单个结果集。

语法

SELECT statement ::=

    < query_expression >

    [ ORDER BY { order_by_expression | column_position [ ASC | DESC ] }

        [ ,...n ]    ]

    [ COMPUTE

        { { AVG | COUNT | MAX | MIN | SUM } ( expression ) } [ ,...n ]

        [ BY expression [ ,...n ] ]

    ]

    [ FOR { BROWSE | XML { RAW | AUTO | EXPLICIT }

            [ , XMLDATA ]

            [ , ELEMENTS ]

            [ , BINARY base64 ]

        }

]

    [ OPTION ( < query_hint > [ ,...n ]) ]

< query expression > ::=

    { < query specification > | ( < query expression > ) }

    [ UNION [ ALL ] < query specification | ( < query expression > ) [...n ] ]

< query specification > ::=

    SELECT [ ALL | DISTINCT ]

        [ { TOP integer | TOP integer PERCENT } [ WITH TIES ] ]

        < select_list >

    [ INTO new_table ]

    [ FROM { < table_source > } [ ,...n ] ]

    [ WHERE < search_condition > ]

    [ GROUP BY [ ALL ] group_by_expression [ ,...n ]

        [ WITH { CUBE | ROLLUP } ]

    ]

    [HAVING <search_condition>]

由于 SELECT 语句的复杂性，下面按子句说明详细的语法元素和参数：

SELECT 子句

INTO 子句

FROM 子句

WHERE 子句

GROUP BY 子句

HAVING 子句

UNION 运算符

ORDER BY 子句

COMPUTE 子句

FOR 子句

OPTION 子句