... The query consists of four clauses, the third and fourth of which are optional. The general form of a query is SELECT <column list> FROM <table list> [WHERE <constraint list>] [ORDER BY <ORDER BY column list>] where brackets indicate optional items. ... The result of a query may be thought of as a new table, whose columns are those specified in the SELECT clause, whose rows are those satisfying the constraints of the WHERE clause, and whose rows are ordered according to the ORDER BY clause. ...