Learning SQL - some basic help needed plz..

kwah

swvillafan wrote: »

A good pack for mysql is Xampp.

This comes with all you need to get started including Mysql,PHP & the Apache web server.

I also second the wamp / lamp / samp / mamp / xampp suggestion...
The first letter of each package stands for the operating system it is designed to run on (Windows, Linux, Solaris, Mac, and one that is cross [x] compatible) and the 'amp(p)' part stands for Apache, MySQL, PHP (and Perl).

They all require installation except xampp which could be run from anywhere including a usb memory stick or even a cd (though on a cd you won't be able to make changes)...



Anyhow, I digress from your actual question...

SQL is the language that is used to 'talk' with the database itself.. personally I use PHP & MySQL with website databases which is slightly different (you insert the sql code into php functions that fetches the data and stuff as opposed to working directly with the SQL..).

I get the feeling that this is the route many people here appear to be pushing you, but to just learn SQL I feel that MS Access may be a better option. Just steer clear of relational databases unless you're comfortable with inner/outer/left/right joins (they scare me but that is perhaps because I've never needed to use them at code-level...)


If you just want to practice select / read / write queries in pure sql, Head First Labs seem to have a very nice practice setup for public use (I can't post full links atm so I hope getting around the filter here is okay.. if not, will somebody else post it please?):

headfirstlabs.com/sql_hands_on/
headfirstlabs.com/sql_hands_on/hf80.htm


Alternatively, search Google for 'where how can i practice sql?'

Enjoy =]

PeterPerfect

1.Where do I actually type the code into? Is there a program?
This depends on the software you use. It can be free, to very expensive. The code can be written into a standard text editor, or a special program that sometimes comes with the database software
2. Where does the database get stored?
This can be on your own PC or remotely. The database software stores the information as files. As to what to use, MySQL is the best free database around, though there are others. The most simplistic one is called sqlite. You could however spend money on a commercial database product such as MS-SQL (Microsoft)

piggeh

phpmyadmin is the easiest way to type in SQL commands to a mysql database (not sure on best for others). It comes preinstalled on XAMPP. However it also depends on the context - if you're using it for web pages then you put it into the scripts (php scripts for example), then upload them onto your webserver and type in the appropriate address. If you're using a webhost they generally have a phpmyadmin page for you to use through your control panel or admin panel for the hosting.

The database for webpages are held on a webserver generally, but you can also set up your own webserver on your own PC which is better for learning as you dont have to rely on FTP programs to continually upload files, access time across the net etc.

isofa

Access is fine to start with if you have it on your PC (comes with Office Professional) - create some data tables, create a query, and put it into SQL mode (click the SQL button top left on the toolbar), you can learn how the SQL works but working with the query grid and switching back and forth to the SQL.

Also in VBA (Access programming language) you can execute SQL statemens directly, with he runSQL command then putting the SQL query in inverted commas.

There used to be a good book called "Intro to SQL" by van-der-Lans, a stock Computer Science degree book, very good to learn from.

piggeh

Access is qquite good yeah - If you set up a couple of querys through the automated route, then switch to SQL mode, you can see how they're structured and pick them apart, or add to them with your own SQL commands and see how they react.

slb2008

Microsoft Access has some nice features but getting it legally costs money.

Mysql and Postgres are powerful systems and are available for free, though they might be considered complex by a complete beginner.

Sqlite is a simple SQL database system available for free that is worth considering. Its site is:

www . sqlite . org

(without the spaces)

Each system has its own program that processes SQL commands and its own way of storing the data. Most database systems provide a tutorial to get you started.

Lakeuk

Learn the basics of sql using MySql,

Step 1

• Goto http://www.uniformserver.com/ and download mini_server_21_xoops_v1_1.zip from the download section
• Drag contents of zip to your harddisk
• Launch server_start.bat (Uniserver page should come up in your browser to confirm the server has started)
• You now have MySql available to use on your PC

Step 2

• Download MySql GUI tools from http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/gui-tools/5.0.html the file you need is mysql-gui-tools-noinstall-5.0-r17-win32.zip
• Drag to folder in the zip over to the 'mini_server_21_xoops_v2' folder you shoud have on your harddisk from step 1
• Launch MySQLQueryBrowser.exe, enter the following details:-
• Server host localhost
  Port 3321
  Username root
  Password root
  Default Schema test (click yes when prompted to create)
• Now you have the Query Browser to practice your sql but you need data to practice with so onto step 3

Step 3

• Goto http://dev.mysql.com/doc/#sampledb and download the zip of the world database - http://downloads.mysql.com/docs/world.sql.zip
• Put the world.sql file in the zip in folder 'mini_server_21_xoops_v2'
• In MySQLQueryBrowser choose menu 'File', 'Open Script ...' and select world.sql from the 'mini_server_21_xoops_v2' folder and click 'Open'
• Click the 'Execute' button
• You should now see 3 tables on your right created under the 'test' schema
• Click the 'Resultset 1' tab and type in the following:-
• select * from city;
• click the lightening execute button and the contents of the city should list below the query area

Step 4

• Now to learn basic SQL, goto http://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp and follow through the sections using your sample database

Let us know how you get on