Using a Column Alias to Change Headings When Selecting Data

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When displaying the result of a query, SQL normally uses the name of the selected column as the column heading. You can change a column heading by using a column alias to make the heading more descriptive and easier to understand.

You can specify the alias after the column name in the SELECT list using a space as a separator. If the alias contains spaces or special characters, such as number sign # or dollar sign $, or if it is case-sensitive, enclose the alias in quotation marks " ".

Example: Using a Column Alias for a Descriptive Heading in a SQL Query shows the use of a column alias to provide a descriptive heading for each of the columns selected in a query.

-- the following retrieves the data in employee_id, last_name, first_name columns
-- and provides column aliases for more descriptive headings of the columns
SELECT employee_id "Employee ID number", last_name "Employee last name", 
  first_name "Employee first name" FROM employees;