Making sense of a query....

[TheOriginalH]

'SELECT a.id, a.filename, a.name, a.description
        FROM media a 
        WHERE 1 = 1
        #-AND-# #-ORDERBY-# #-GROUPBY-#'; 

The above query (there is a string replace function for the dodgy bit at the end) has me a little confused.

Why the "WHERE 1=1" bit? Will that not always evaluate to true?

And why the media.a?

[SSJ]

There is no meaning to use 1=1 here as It will always evauated to True.

Why Media a?
Here is a is called an Alias for Table Media and you can refer the table Media via a.

[longneck]

actually, the 1=1 is very important. it lets you blindly add more conditions to there where clause without having to worry about whether it is the first condition (and therefore shouldn't be preceded by an AND).