SQL in a Week

The_Hurricane

Hi All,

I've been invited along to speak to a potential employer regarding a job that is very specific to my own skill set. When they called me in relation to this role I advised that the only criteria that I didn't meet was experience with SQL.

They asked if I could do a basic crash course in it and get back to them within one week at which time they would set me a very basic test on the field.

I've googled this language which appears to be used by databasesm, however I haven't found any good resources that can help me to learn this from a beginners perspective. Can anyone provide some guides please?

rmg1

Have a look at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/
It's a good place to learn and the people on the forums are very
knowledgeable.
Whether it will walk you through the basics I don't know.
You always download the express version of SQL Server and there are plenty of sites on t'net to get you started.

dogmaryxx

Found this

http://www.sqlcourse.com/intro.html

Cornucopia

dogmaryxx wrote: »

Found this

http://www.sqlcourse.com/intro.html

That looks good.

bod1467

Do they use any specific flavour of database?

Whilst the generics of SQL are common, there are some specifics to the language construct depending on the database server in question. (MSSQL, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Access, etc.)

You may also need to be aware of Normalisation (e.g. third normal form), Prepared Statements and/or Procedures, SQL Injection Attacks, etc.

How much you need to know at the outset really depends on how much a part of this job SQL will be.

Ximian

The book Sams-Teach-Yourself-SQL-Minutes available from Amazon is pretty good:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sams-Teach-Yourself-SQL-Minutes/dp/0672336073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386867771&sr=8-1&keywords=sql

Mr_Toad

As others have said, do you know what databases they use?

I'm an Oracle DBA, hence my avatar, and have been using SQL since the 80s. I'm still learning. There's SQL as a data definition language, DDL as well as data manipulation language, DML as well as the query commands that most people are familiar with.

Did they give you any idea what the test would include?

If I were you I'd be looking at how to create a basic database with tables. Then use of INSERT INTO and UPDATE etc..

Do they use PL/SQL - that is procedural SQL? If so then welcome to world of Cursors and program blocks.

Will you be developing in SQL or supporting an SQL application? Will you be doing everything from installing the database software, developing the database then supporting it and doing the DBA work?

Or is it more a case that they have a database and will be asking you to run queries against it to extract data and format reports?

Lastly what operating system is the server running? Do they use a GUI like Oracle Enterprise Manager or whatever the MS GUI is called or is it done from the Linux/Windows command line, my preferred option.

Most large database applications run on Linux wither the exception of the Windows SQL Server stuff, 99% of the stuff I look after is Linux. When we get odd Windows Server problem I usually let someone else deal that has more MS training than me.

Don't let my ramblings put you off, get a decent book and do some on-line training. Of course you'll need a database installed to train on which is only going to help you.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

paddyrg

You can learn the very basics in a week (like being able to say 'how much?' in Spanish, or asking for a baguette in French), but the language runs deep and the data abstraction and modeling methodologies are more akin to an understanding of the culture - that takes years to actually become instinctual.

Can you afford a crash class at an it training company, even a 2 day one? Generally quite expensive but the value of being hands on in a classroom with help on tap is very high. It'll make a big difference to your confidence to know that you managed to do xyz once even if you've got to go back to your notes to remind yourself.

But, rest assured, if the interviewing company said a 1 well crash course is enough, either they themselves don't understand SQL and data management, or the requirement is quite simple. SQL, when you get into it, is very elegant for working with large sets of data at once. There are a couple of gotchas (join types will make the world of difference for instance, and this is why a classroom session can Really help), but of all the programming related things you can do, it's one of the most satisfying. For me, anyway.

WTFH

paddyrg wrote: »

(like being able to say 'how much?...for a baguette),

Select Bread_type, Price from Proddta.bread
Where Bread_type = "baguette";

paddyrg

WTFH wrote: »

Select Bread_type, Price from Proddta.bread
Where Bread_type = "baguette";

With a (nonclustered) index on Bread_type ;-)

WTFH

paddyrg wrote: »

With a (nonclustered) index on Bread_type ;-)

Indices are for people who want information in a hurry. I get paid by the hour.