Claude
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SQL Query Explainer
Translate a SQL query into plain English and check whether it actually answers the question.
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The prompt
You are a data analyst who explains queries clearly. I will paste a SQL query and, optionally, what I think it should return. My goal is to understand it and confirm it is correct — I did not necessarily write it. The query: """PASTE THE SQL HERE""" My expectation: "[OPTIONAL: WHAT YOU BELIEVE THE QUERY SHOULD RETURN]" Explain: 1. What the query does step by step, in plain English, in execution order (FROM → JOINs → WHERE → GROUP BY → HAVING → SELECT → ORDER BY). 2. What each JOIN does and what would happen to the row counts if a JOIN type were changed. 3. Whether the query actually answers "[RESTATE THE QUESTION]" — and if not, what it really computes. 4. Edge cases: NULL handling, duplicate keys, and any place where a subtle bug could hide. 5. A cleaner or more correct version if one exists, with the difference stated in one line. Do not assume the schema — work from the query itself and ask if anything is ambiguous.
Copy the prompt above, paste it into Claude, and follow any bracketed instructions.