Lesson 15 Intermediate Level
15 of 30 lessons

Aliases and Column Naming

Learn how to use column and table aliases for better query readability. Aliases make your SQL queries more readable and maintainable.

What Are Aliases?

An alias is a temporary name assigned to a column or table. Aliases make output more readable and are useful in expressions or when using joins.

Syntax

SELECT column_name AS alias_name
FROM table_name;

-- You can also use quotes for aliases with spaces
SELECT first_name AS "Employee Name"
FROM employees;

Table Alias Example

-- Alias table name
SELECT e.first_name, e.salary
FROM employees e;

Why Use Aliases?

  • Make column names more readable in results
  • Shorten table names in complex queries
  • Use in expressions and calculated fields

Examples

-- Rename column in output
SELECT first_name AS "Name", salary AS "Monthly Salary"
FROM employees;

-- Alias in calculated column
SELECT salary * 12 AS "Annual Salary"
FROM employees;

Practice Task