INNER JOIN with ON condition in SQL - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does an INNER JOIN do in SQL?

An INNER JOIN returns only the rows where there is a match in both tables based on the specified condition.

beginner

What is the purpose of the ON condition in an INNER JOIN?

The ON condition specifies how to match rows from the two tables, usually by comparing columns with related data.

beginner

Write a simple INNER JOIN query to get matching rows from tables Employees and Departments where Employees.DepartmentID equals Departments.ID.

SELECT * FROM Employees INNER JOIN Departments ON Employees.DepartmentID = Departments.ID;

beginner

If an INNER JOIN query returns zero rows, what does it mean about the data?

It means there are no matching rows between the two tables based on the ON condition.

intermediate

Can you use multiple conditions in the ON clause of an INNER JOIN? How?

Yes, you can combine multiple conditions using AND or OR inside the ON clause to match rows more precisely.

What does the ON clause specify in an INNER JOIN?

A How to match rows between tables

B Which columns to select

C The order of rows in the result

D The database to use

The ON clause tells SQL how to find matching rows between the two tables.

What rows does an INNER JOIN return?

A All rows from the first table

B Only rows with matching values in both tables

C All rows from the second table

D All rows from both tables

INNER JOIN returns only rows where the ON condition finds matches in both tables.

Which SQL keyword is used to combine rows from two tables based on a condition?

A INNER JOIN

B GROUP BY

C ORDER BY

D WHERE

INNER JOIN combines rows from two tables based on the ON condition.

Can the ON condition use more than one column to match rows?

A No, only one column is allowed

B Only in LEFT JOIN

C Yes, by using AND or OR to combine conditions

D Only if the columns have the same name

You can combine multiple conditions in the ON clause using AND or OR.

If you want to join tables but keep all rows from the first table even if no match exists, should you use INNER JOIN?

A No, use CROSS JOIN

B Yes, INNER JOIN keeps all rows from the first table

C Yes, but only with ON condition

D No, use LEFT JOIN instead

INNER JOIN only returns matching rows; LEFT JOIN keeps all rows from the first table.

Explain in your own words what an INNER JOIN with an ON condition does.

Think about how you find common friends between two groups.

Write a simple INNER JOIN query example and describe what it returns.

Use two example tables like Employees and Departments.

Practice

1. What does an INNER JOIN do in SQL when used with an ON condition?

easy

A. It returns all rows from the first table regardless of matches.

B. It returns all rows from both tables, matching or not.

C. It returns all rows from the second table regardless of matches.

D. It returns only rows where the join condition matches in both tables.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand INNER JOIN behavior

   INNER JOIN returns rows only when the join condition matches rows in both tables.

2. Step 2: Compare with other join types

   Unlike LEFT or RIGHT JOIN, INNER JOIN excludes rows without matches.

3. Final Answer:

   It returns only rows where the join condition matches in both tables. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   INNER JOIN = matching rows only [OK]

Hint: INNER JOIN keeps only matching rows from both tables [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking INNER JOIN returns unmatched rows
• Confusing INNER JOIN with LEFT JOIN
• Ignoring the ON condition effect

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax for an INNER JOIN with an ON condition between tables Employees and Departments on DepartmentID?

easy

A. SELECT * FROM Employees INNER JOIN Departments ON Employees.DepartmentID = Departments.DepartmentID;

B. SELECT * FROM Employees INNER JOIN Departments ON Employees.ID = Departments.ID;

C. SELECT * FROM Employees JOIN Departments USING DepartmentID;

D. SELECT * FROM Employees INNER JOIN Departments WHERE Employees.DepartmentID = Departments.DepartmentID;

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct INNER JOIN syntax

   The INNER JOIN requires the ON keyword followed by the join condition.

2. Step 2: Check the join condition correctness

   The join should be on Employees.DepartmentID = Departments.DepartmentID, not just ID or WHERE clause.

3. Final Answer:

   SELECT * FROM Employees INNER JOIN Departments ON Employees.DepartmentID = Departments.DepartmentID; -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   INNER JOIN uses ON with condition [OK]

Hint: Use ON keyword with join condition for INNER JOIN [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using WHERE instead of ON for join condition
• Joining on wrong columns
• Omitting ON keyword

3. Given these tables:

Employees
ID | Name | DeptID
1 | Alice | 10
2 | Bob | 20
3 | Carol | 30

Departments
DeptID | DeptName
10 | Sales
20 | HR
40 | IT

What is the result of this query?

SELECT Employees.Name, Departments.DeptName FROM Employees INNER JOIN Departments ON Employees.DeptID = Departments.DeptID;

medium

A. [('Alice', 'Sales'), ('Bob', 'HR')]

B. [('Alice', 'Sales'), ('Bob', 'HR'), ('Carol', 'IT')]

C. [('Alice', 'Sales'), ('Carol', 'IT')]

D. [('Bob', 'HR'), ('Carol', 'IT')]

Solution

1. Step 1: Match Employees.DeptID with Departments.DeptID

   Employees have DeptIDs 10, 20, 30; Departments have 10, 20, 40.

2. Step 2: Find matching DeptIDs

   Matches are 10 and 20 only; 30 (Carol) has no matching department.

3. Final Answer:

   [('Alice', 'Sales'), ('Bob', 'HR')] -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   INNER JOIN returns only matching DeptIDs [OK]

Hint: Only rows with matching DeptID appear in INNER JOIN result [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Including unmatched rows like Carol's
• Confusing DeptID with ID
• Assuming all departments join

4. Consider this query:

SELECT e.Name, d.DeptName FROM Employees e INNER JOIN Departments d ON e.DeptID = d.ID;

Given Departments has column DeptID but no ID column, what is the issue?

medium

A. The query will join on wrong columns but still return rows.

B. The query will run but return no rows.

C. The query will cause a syntax error due to wrong column name.

D. The query will join correctly because aliases fix column names.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check column names in ON condition

   The query uses d.ID but Departments table has DeptID, not ID.

2. Step 2: Understand SQL error on invalid column

   Referencing a non-existent column causes a syntax or runtime error.

3. Final Answer:

   The query will cause a syntax error due to wrong column name. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Wrong column in ON causes error [OK]

Hint: Verify column names in ON condition to avoid errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming aliases rename columns automatically
• Using wrong column names in ON clause
• Expecting empty result instead of error

5. You have two tables:

Orders
OrderID | CustomerID | Amount
1 | 101 | 50
2 | 102 | 75
3 | 103 | 100
4 | 101 | 25

Customers
CustomerID | Name
101 | John
102 | Jane
104 | Mike

Write an INNER JOIN query to find total order amount per customer name, including only customers with orders. Which query is correct?

hard

A. SELECT c.Name, SUM(o.Amount) FROM Customers c INNER JOIN Orders o ON c.CustomerID = o.CustomerID GROUP BY c.CustomerID;

B. SELECT c.Name, SUM(o.Amount) FROM Orders o INNER JOIN Customers c ON o.CustomerID = c.CustomerID GROUP BY c.Name;

C. SELECT c.Name, SUM(o.Amount) FROM Customers c LEFT JOIN Orders o ON c.CustomerID = o.CustomerID GROUP BY c.Name;

D. SELECT c.Name, SUM(o.Amount) FROM Orders o INNER JOIN Customers c ON o.CustomerID = c.CustomerID GROUP BY o.CustomerID;

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand requirement - total per customer with orders only

   INNER JOIN keeps only customers with matching orders; GROUP BY customer name to sum amounts.

2. Step 2: Check query correctness

   SELECT c.Name, SUM(o.Amount) FROM Orders o INNER JOIN Customers c ON o.CustomerID = c.CustomerID GROUP BY c.Name; joins Orders to Customers on CustomerID and groups by c.Name, matching requirement exactly.

3. Step 3: Compare other options

   SELECT c.Name, SUM(o.Amount) FROM Customers c INNER JOIN Orders o ON c.CustomerID = o.CustomerID GROUP BY c.CustomerID; groups by CustomerID but c.Name not grouped (SQL error). SELECT c.Name, SUM(o.Amount) FROM Customers c LEFT JOIN Orders o ON c.CustomerID = o.CustomerID GROUP BY c.Name; uses LEFT JOIN (includes customers without orders). SELECT c.Name, SUM(o.Amount) FROM Orders o INNER JOIN Customers c ON o.CustomerID = c.CustomerID GROUP BY o.CustomerID; groups by o.CustomerID (not customer name).

4. Final Answer:

   SELECT c.Name, SUM(o.Amount) FROM Orders o INNER JOIN Customers c ON o.CustomerID = c.CustomerID GROUP BY c.Name; -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   INNER JOIN with GROUP BY customer name sums orders [OK]

Hint: Join Orders to Customers, group by customer name for totals [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using LEFT JOIN includes customers without orders
• Grouping by wrong column
• Joining tables in wrong order causing confusion