A SQL View is a virtual table created using a SQL query. It does not store data itself but presents data from one or more tables as if it were a real table.

Why should I use SQL Views?

SQL Views simplify complex queries, improve security by restricting access to specific columns, and provide a layer of abstraction for easier database management.

How do you update or drop a SQL View?

You can update a view using CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW in SQL. To remove a view completely, use the DROP VIEW statement.

SQL View Interactive Demo

📊 Orders Table

ID	Customer ID	Product ID	Quantity	Date
1	101	201	2	2024-01-15
2	102	202	1	2024-01-16
3	101	203	3	2024-01-17

👥 Customers Table

ID	Name	City	Email	Phone
101	Ram Sharma	Mumbai	ram@email.com	9876543210
102	Shyam Gupta	Delhi	shyam@email.com	9876543211
103	Geeta Patel	Pune	geeta@email.com	9876543212

📦 Products Table

ID	Name	Price ($)	Category	Stock
201	Laptop	500	Electronics	25
202	Mobile	200	Electronics	50
203	Headphones	25	Electronics	100

🔍 View Creation

📋 Order Report View

CREATE VIEW order_report AS SELECT o.id, c.name AS customer_name, p.name AS product_name, o.quantity, o.quantity * p.price AS total_amount, o.date FROM orders o JOIN customers c ON o.customer_id = c.id JOIN products p ON o.product_id = p.id;

How to Use SQL Views:

-- Create a View CREATE VIEW simple_report AS SELECT customer_name, product_name, total_amount FROM order_report WHERE total_amount > 100; -- Use View (like a table) SELECT * FROM simple_report; -- Update View CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW simple_report AS SELECT customer_name, product_name, total_amount, date FROM order_report WHERE total_amount > 150; -- Delete View DROP VIEW simple_report;

Table vs View:

Feature	Table	View
Data Storage	✅ Physical storage	❌ Virtual (No storage)
Space Usage	💾 Takes disk space	🪶 No space required
Data Freshness	⏰ Manual updates	🔄 Always fresh
Complex Queries	🔍 Rewrite every time	✨ Define once, reuse
Performance	⚡ Fast (direct access)	🐌 Slower (query execution)

Practical Examples:

🎯 Simple View (Updatable)

CREATE VIEW mumbai_customers AS SELECT id, name, email FROM customers WHERE city = 'Mumbai'; -- Update data in view UPDATE mumbai_customers SET email = 'newemail@example.com' WHERE id = 101;

🔒 Complex View (Read-only)

CREATE VIEW monthly_sales AS SELECT DATE_FORMAT(date, '%Y-%m') AS month, COUNT(*) AS total_orders, SUM(quantity * price) AS total_revenue FROM orders o JOIN products p ON o.product_id = p.id GROUP BY DATE_FORMAT(date, '%Y-%m'); -- Read-only view (due to GROUP BY) SELECT * FROM monthly_sales;

🎮 Interactive Demo

Click buttons to see how SQL Views work:

👆 Click the buttons above to explore how SQL Views work!