MySQL Commands Cheat Sheet: Most-Used SQL Commands

Keep this cheat sheet handy while you practise. These are the commands data analysts type dozens of times a day, grouped by what they act on.

Key Points

• Databases: SHOW DATABASES; CREATE DATABASE db; USE db; DROP DATABASE db;
• Tables: SHOW TABLES; DESCRIBE t; CREATE TABLE …; ALTER TABLE …; DROP TABLE t;
• Read data: SELECT cols FROM t WHERE … ORDER BY … LIMIT n;
• Write data: INSERT INTO t VALUES (…); UPDATE t SET … WHERE …; DELETE FROM t WHERE …;
• Users: CREATE USER, GRANT, REVOKE, SHOW GRANTS
• Help: EXPLAIN query; SHOW PROCESSLIST; SELECT VERSION();