How do you use the JOIN statement in SQL to combine tables?

The JOIN statement in SQL is used to combine rows from two or more tables based on a related column between them.

In SQL, the JOIN statement is used to combine data or rows from two or more tables based on a related column or condition between them. This is particularly useful when you need to pull data from multiple tables into a single query. There are several types of JOIN statements in SQL, including INNER JOIN, LEFT JOIN, RIGHT JOIN, and FULL JOIN.

The INNER JOIN keyword selects records that have matching values in both tables. It returns rows when there is a match in both tables. For example, if you have two tables, Customers and Orders, and you want to list all the orders made by each customer, you would use an INNER JOIN on the CustomerID field which is present in both tables.

The LEFT JOIN keyword returns all records from the left table (table1), and the matched records from the right table (table2). If there is no match, the result is NULL from the right side. This is useful when you want to include all records from one table, regardless of whether there's a matching record in the other table.

The RIGHT JOIN keyword does the opposite of a LEFT JOIN. It returns all records from the right table, and the matched records from the left table. If there is no match, the result is NULL from the left side.

The FULL JOIN keyword returns all records when there is a match in either the left (table1) or the right (table2) table records. If there is no match, the result is NULL from both sides.

To use a JOIN, you would use the following syntax: SELECT column_name(s) FROM table1 JOIN table2 ON table1.column_name = table2.column_name. The JOIN statement is used in the FROM clause, and the ON keyword is used to specify the matching column.

In conclusion, the JOIN statement in SQL is a powerful tool that allows you to combine and analyse data from multiple tables in a single query. Understanding how to use the different types of JOINs will greatly enhance your ability to work with relational databases.