SQL Formatting Best Practices

Clean SQL formatting drastically reduces syntax errors and speeds up code reviews. Key conventions include:

  • Uppercase Reserved Keywords: Always uppercase SELECT, FROM, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY, and ORDER BY.
  • Indent JOIN and ON Conditions: Place table joins on separate lines with the joining predicate indented.
  • Stack WHERE Conditions: Place logical AND / OR operators at the start of new lines for easier debugging.