When
composing a SQL SELECT statement, you will specify tables and columns from that
table. You could name those objects in your query by themselves (also known as
one-part naming). However, it is better to use two-part naming. That means you
prepend the tables with the database schema name. And you prepend the columns
with the table name.
It is also
good practice to provide a short alias for the table names in your query. Just
note that you will then need to use that alias instead of the table name in the
rest of your query. The table name become effectively hidden.
When you are
designing a database, you will need to come up with descriptive names for the
objects that you create in the database. There are rules for those names. They
need to start with a letter, underscore, at sign, or pound sign.
In the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) GUI
tool, there is a default database that it used when you connect. You have the
ability to switch to a different database in SQL with the USE command.
