Intro to SQL

Big data is sexy right now. SQL is like the hipster of data. It was cool before people were into data. Most large companies, and many small ones, store all the valuable information about their companies in databases, and SQL is the language to get at that data and find out what you want about your customers, your products, and your entire business. SQL is a declarative language, which means it reads a lot like English, and is easy to get started with.

This class will teach you how to query databases, create them, and edit them, to get the information you need without waiting for developers or business analysts. SQL power to the people.

You'll learn:

First Half (Morning): How to Read a Database

• What's a Database? What's SQL?

• Select statement

• Grouping by statements

• Clauses and joins

Second Half (Afternoon): How to Write to a Database

• Creating, deleting, and updating a table

• Super-awesome bonus round: subqueries

This class is the second in a series of classes focusing on data, and goes hand-in-hand with the previous GDI Database Theory class taught by Sondra Willhite. You don't need to have taken the class, but a familiarity with database concepts and terminology helps. No prior programming skills necessary, since SQL is all fun and declaratory like that.

Prereqs:

• Preferred but not necessary to have taken Sondra Wilhite's Intro to Database Theory course.

Please come to class with:

• A laptop with Internet connection capability

• A burning desire to learn SQL

About the Instructor:

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Vicki is a senior business intelligence analyst at Comcast. She's been wrestling with data for over five years in every format known to humanity. Currently, she does a lot of work with Hadoop, Python, and SQL. When not making CSV files cry, Vicki blogs, runs, and is working on her first novel (which is not about data at all.) She also enjoys a fine jar of Nutella occasionally.