SQL Joins (Inner, Left, Right and Full Join)

SQL joins are fundamental tools for combining data from multiple tables in relational databases. Joins allow efficient data retrieval, which is essential for generating meaningful observations and solving complex business queries. Understanding SQL join types, such as INNER JOIN, LEFT JOIN, RIGHT JOIN, FULL JOIN, and NATURAL JOIN is important for working with relational databases.

Types of SQL Joins

An SQL JOIN clause is used to query and access data from multiple tables by establishing logical relationships between them. It can access data from multiple tables simultaneously using common key values shared across different tables. We can use SQL JOIN with multiple tables. It can also be combined with other clauses, with the most common use being paired with JOIN and WHERE clause to filter data during data retrieval. Let us visualize how each join type operates:

1. SQL INNER JOIN

The INNER JOIN keyword selects all rows from both the tables as long as the condition is satisfied. This keyword will create the result set by combining all rows from both the tables where the condition satisfies i.e value of the common field will be the same. 

Syntax

SELECT table1.column1,table1.column2,table2.column1,.... FROM table1 INNER JOIN table2 ON table1.matching_column = table2.matching_column;

Note: We can also write JOIN instead of INNER JOIN. JOIN is same as INNER JOIN. 

Example of INNER JOIN

Consider the two tables, Student and StudentCourse, which share a common column ROLL_NO. Using SQL JOINS, we can combine data from these tables based on their relationship, allowing us to retrieve meaningful information like student details along with their enrolled courses. 

1. Student Table

2. StudentCourse Table

Let's look at the example of INNER JOIN clause, and understand it's working. This query will show the names and age of students enrolled in different courses.  

Query:

SELECT StudentCourse.COURSE_ID, Student.NAME, Student.AGE FROM Student
INNER JOIN StudentCourse
ON Student.ROLL_NO = StudentCourse.ROLL_NO;

Output

2. SQL LEFT JOIN

A LEFT JOIN returns all rows from the left table, along with matching rows from the right table. If there is no match, NULL values are returned for columns from the right table. LEFT JOIN is also known as LEFT OUTER JOIN.

Syntax

SELECT table1.column1,table1.column2,table2.column1,....
FROM table1
LEFT JOIN table2
ON table1.matching_column = table2.matching_column;

Note: We can also use LEFT OUTER JOIN instead of LEFT JOIN, both are the same.

LEFT JOIN Example

In this example, the LEFT JOIN retrieves all rows from the Student table and the matching rows from the StudentCourse table based on the ROLL_NO column.

Query:

SELECT Student.NAME,StudentCourse.COURSE_ID 
FROM Student
LEFT JOIN StudentCourse 
ON StudentCourse.ROLL_NO = Student.ROLL_NO;

Output

3. SQL RIGHT JOIN

RIGHT JOIN returns all the rows of the table on the right side of the join and matching rows for the table on the left side of the join. It is very similar to LEFT JOIN for the rows for which there is no matching row on the left side, the result-set will contain null. RIGHT JOIN is also known as RIGHT OUTER JOIN. 

Syntax

SELECT table1.column1,table1.column2,table2.column1,....
FROM table1
RIGHT JOIN table2
ON table1.matching_column = table2.matching_column;

Key Terms

• table1: First table.
• table2: Second table
• matching_column: Column common to both the tables.

Note: We can also use RIGHT OUTER JOIN instead of RIGHT JOIN, both are the same

RIGHT JOIN Example

In this example, the RIGHT JOIN retrieves all rows from the StudentCourse table and the matching rows from the Student table based on the ROLL_NO column.

Query:

SELECT Student.NAME,StudentCourse.COURSE_ID 
FROM Student
RIGHT JOIN StudentCourse 
ON StudentCourse.ROLL_NO = Student.ROLL_NO;

Output

4. SQL FULL JOIN

FULL JOIN creates the result-set by combining results of both LEFT JOIN and RIGHT JOIN. The result-set will contain all the rows from both tables. For the rows for which there is no matching, the result-set will contain NULL values.

Syntax

SELECT table1.column1,table1.column2,table2.column1,....
FROM table1
FULL JOIN table2
ON table1.matching_column = table2.matching_column;

Key Terms

• table1: First table.
  
• table2: Second table
  
• matching_column: Column common to both the tables.

FULL JOIN Example

This example demonstrates the use of a FULL JOIN, which combines the results of both LEFT JOIN and RIGHT JOIN. The query retrieves all rows from the Student and StudentCourse tables. If a record in one table does not have a matching record in the other table, the result set will include that record with NULL values for the missing fields

Query:

SELECT Student.NAME,StudentCourse.COURSE_ID 
FROM Student
FULL JOIN StudentCourse 
ON StudentCourse.ROLL_NO = Student.ROLL_NO;

Output 

5. SQL Natural Join (?)

A Natural Join is a type of INNER JOIN that automatically joins two tables based on columns with the same name and data type. It returns only the rows where the values in the common columns match.

• It returns rows where the values in these common columns are the same in both tables.
• Common columns appear only once in the result, even if they exist in both tables.
• Unlike a CROSS JOIN, which creates all possible combinations of rows, a Natural Join only includes rows with matching values

Example:

Look at the two tables below- Employee and Department

Find all Employees and their respective departments.

 (Employee) ? (Department)

Output:

Conclusion

SQL joins are essential tools for anyone working with relational databases. Understanding the different types of joins in SQL, like INNER JOIN, LEFT OUTER JOIN, RIGHT JOIN, and FULL JOIN, allows us to combine and query data effectively. With the examples and syntax covered here, we should feel confident applying these SQL join types to our data to retrieve meaningful observations and manage complex queries with ease. Use these SQL join techniques to streamline our data handling and enhance our SQL skills.