add db.Ping() example
diff --git a/SQLInterface.md b/SQLInterface.md
index 2a1d512..c673c41 100644
--- a/SQLInterface.md
+++ b/SQLInterface.md
@@ -23,7 +23,13 @@
specifies database-specific connection information
such as database name and authentication credentials.
-Note that Open does not directly open a database connection: this is deferred until a query is made. To verify that a connection can be made before making a query, use the Ping function.
+Note that Open does not directly open a database connection: this is deferred until a query is made. To verify that a connection can be made before making a query, use the Ping function:
+
+```
+if err := db.Ping(); err != nil {
+ log.Fatal(err)
+}
+```
After use, the database is closed using Close.
