This keyword allows us to get lists of unique values in a column. This guide will demonstrate that.
Full display of the data in the student table
USE fcc_sql_guides_database;
SELECT studentID, FullName, sat_score, programOfStudy, rcd_Created, rcd_Updated FROM student;
+-----------+------------------------+-----------+------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| studentID | FullName | sat_score | programOfStudy | rcd_Created | rcd_Updated |
+-----------+------------------------+-----------+------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
| 1 | Monique Davis | 400 | Literature | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 |
| 2 | Teri Gutierrez | 800 | Programming | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 |
| 3 | Spencer Pautier | 1000 | Programming | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 |
| 4 | Louis Ramsey | 1200 | Programming | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 |
| 5 | Alvin Greene | 1200 | Programming | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 |
| 6 | Sophie Freeman | 1200 | Programming | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 | 2017-08-16 15:34:50 |
| 7 | Edgar Frank "Ted" Codd | 2400 | Computer Science | 2017-08-16 15:35:33 | 2017-08-16 15:35:33 |
| 8 | Donald D. Chamberlin | 2400 | Computer Science | 2017-08-16 15:35:33 | 2017-08-16 15:35:33 |
| 9 | Raymond F. Boyce | 2400 | Computer Science | 2017-08-16 15:35:33 | 2017-08-16 15:35:33 |
+-----------+------------------------+-----------+------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
9 rows in set (0.00 sec)
Get list of fields of study
SELECT DISTINCT programOfStudy FROM student;
+------------------+
| programOfStudy |
+------------------+
| Literature |
| Programming |
| Computer Science |
+------------------+
3 rows in set (0.00 sec)
As with all of these SQL things there is MUCH MORE to them than what’s in this introductory guide.
I hope this at least gives you enough to get started.
Please see the manual for your database manager and have fun trying different options yourself.