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Structured Query Language, or SQL (usually pronounced “sequal”), was developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the mission to interact with databases. Today, it is extensively used by developers across the world. Whatever be the industry you work in or the scale of your business operations, SQL comes in handy for several data management tasks. This article provides a comprehensive coverage of SQL basics for beginners.
What is SQL?
SQL is a programming language that is used to communicate with and manipulate databases. The majority of the biggest tech companies use SQL including Twitter, Google, IBM, Oracle and so on. SQL offers two primary advantages:
1. It introduces a considerable amount of flexibility and a couple of powerful features not available in regular programming languages when it comes to dealing with databases.
2. SQL is easy to understand. Its syntax is pretty straightforward and resembles English.
Understanding SQL Syntax
The best way to understand SQL is by looking at some code. Here’s an example:
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SELECT column_name FROM table_name |
In this case, the above SQL statement selects ‘column_name’ from ‘table_name’. The SQL commands, such as SELECT and FROM, are case-insensitive. Nonetheless, conventionally they’re written in uppercase.
Creating a Database
Once you’ve got your SQL Server up and running, you can create a new database. To create a new database, SQL provides with CREATE DATABASE command. Here is how you do it:
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CREATE DATABASE db_name; |
Replace ‘db_name’ with the name of your database.
Fetching Data
The most basic function you’re going to use a lot is fetching data from a database. In SQL, we use the SELECT statement for this task. Here it is in action:
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SELECT column_name FROM table_name |
In the above example replace ‘column_name’ with the name of the column you want to select, and ‘table_name’ with the name of the table where column resides.
Summary
Getting started with SQL is easy since the syntax is straightforward and resembles English. This guide has provided foundational knowledge of SQL for a beginner. We’ve covered what SQL is, how to create a new database, and how to fetch data. Practice these commands and experiment with them to become more comfortable with SQL firsthand.
Remember, the more you practice, the more you’ll understand the nuances and become proficient at database manipulation.
So, start creating and managing databases and happy learning!