# Manage SQL views

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## Manage SQL views

In SQL, a view is a virtual table based on the result-set of an SQL statement. Views can provide advantages over tables, such as:

* represent a subset of the data contained in a table (see also[ segments](https://docs.forestadmin.com/user-guide/collections/segments)).
* join and simplify many tables into a single virtual table.
* act as aggregated tables, where the database engine aggregates data (sum, average etc.) and presents the calculated results as part of the data.

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Forest Admin natively supports SQL views. If you have already implemented views, simply add [the associated models](https://docs.forestadmin.com/documentation/reference-guide/models/enrich-your-models#declaring-a-new-model) to display them on your interface.
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### Creating the SQL View

To create a view, we use `CREATE VIEW` statement.

In the following example, we look for the **user's email**, **the number of orders** and **the total amount spent**.

```sql
CREATE VIEW customer_stats AS
  SELECT customers.id,
    customers.email,
    count(orders.*) AS nb_orders,
    sum(products.price) AS amount_spent,
    customers.created_at,
    customers.updated_at
  FROM customers
    JOIN orders ON customers.id = orders.customer_id
    JOIN products ON orders.product_id = products.id
  GROUP BY customers.id;
```

### Adding the model

To display the SQL view on your Forest Admin interface, you must add the associated Sequelize model in your application.

{% code title="models/customer\_stats.js" %}

```javascript
'use strict';

module.exports = (sequelize, DataTypes) => {
  const { Sequelize } = sequelize;
  const CustomerStats = sequelize.define(
    'customer_stats',
    {
      amount_spent: {
        type: DataTypes.INTEGER,
      },
      nb_orders: {
        type: DataTypes.STRING,
      },
      email: {
        type: DataTypes.STRING,
      },
    },
    {
      tableName: 'customer_stats',
      underscored: true,

      schema: process.env.DATABASE_SCHEMA,
    }
  );

  return CustomerStats;
};
```

{% endcode %}

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### Managing the view

Once your SQL view is implemented, you'll be able to filter, search, export and change the order of your fields.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Most of the time SQL views are used as **read-only**. If this is the case, we recommend changing the CRUD permission in your [roles's settings](https://docs.forestadmin.com/user-guide/project-settings/teams-and-users/manage-roles).
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![](/files/vVxPy9dx2vcmGu5Gccfi)


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