Join tables are good for when you are not sure if there is a value for the field you are searching for but know that in one table there is more values for that field. The main differentiator is that it will bring up the NULL values. You are selecting all records from one table that mets one condition from the other table. The important thing to note is that the first database is selecting all records from table 1, along with records that match in table 2 .