This Help section is an introductory tutorial of the Structured Query Language (also known as SQL). This is an advanced topic for users wishing to create their special reports. SQL is a programming language which allows users to access data in relational database management systems, such as Filopto, by allowing users to describe the data they wish to see. This section will describe how to use SQL, and give examples. It is recommended that you print this tutorial, so that you can easily refer back to previous examples.
This is not an all inclusive course but rather an introduction to the SQL language used in the Filopto report writer. It is important that you understand the concept of relational database in that it is a series of tables containing your data that can be linked using the SQL language to give you access to your data in the manner you want to see it. You must familiarize yourself with the various tables contained in your database and the relationship each has with the other and the data they each contain. Once you understand where the data resides, this tutorial will become extremely helpful for you to access and display the data. We also recommend that you look at the various queries used in the reports provided with Filopto as they can serve as a guide on how to formulate your SQL query.
