Topic 11018 min readStructured Tutorial
SQL Server LEFT JOIN Tutorial
Quick Answer
In SQL Server, a LEFT JOIN returns all records from the left table and matched records from the right table. If there is no match, NULL values appear for columns from the right table. This join is useful to find all records in one table with optional related data from another.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the purpose and behavior of LEFT JOIN in SQL Server.
- Write correct LEFT JOIN queries to combine tables.
- Interpret query results involving LEFT JOIN and NULL values.
Introduction
SQL Server provides several types of JOINs to combine data from multiple tables.
LEFT JOIN is a common join type that returns all rows from the left table and matching rows from the right table.
If no matching row exists in the right table, the result includes NULLs for those columns.
LEFT JOIN helps you keep all your base data while optionally adding related information.
