1. Explain the purpose of the SQL INSERT statement. Provide an example of how you would use it to add a new record to a table.

The SQL INSERT statement is used to insert new data into a database table. It allows you to add new rows of data to existing tables in a database.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use the SQL INSERT statement:

1. Identify the table where you want to add data: Before you can add data to a table, you need to know the name of the table as well as the names of the columns where the data will be added.

2. Use the INSERT INTO statement: The INSERT INTO statement is used to add new data to a table. The syntax for this command is INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2, column3, ...) VALUES (value1, value2, value3, ...);

3. Specify the column names and values: After the INSERT INTO statement, you need to specify the column names where the data will be added, followed by the VALUES keyword and the data values that you want to add. The data values should be listed in the same order as the column names.

Here's an example:

Let's say we have a table named "Students" with columns "StudentID", "FirstName", "LastName", and "Age". If we want to add a new student to the table, we would use the SQL INSERT statement like this:

INSERT INTO Students (StudentID, FirstName, LastName, Age) 
VALUES (5, 'John', 'Doe', 18);

In this example, a new row will be added to the "Students" table with a StudentID of 5, FirstName of 'John', LastName of 'Doe', and Age of 18.