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Whelp, believe what you want but some studies have shown that by believing [certain group] are better at a given mental task you will, on average, perform worse at it, even if you are part of [certain group].

Anyways - SQL isn't like many other programming languages. It changes very slowly. So an 'outdated' resource is about 95% as good as a 'modern' one. If I was learning from scratch I'd start off by downloading & installing MySQL + MySQL workbench. You'll want to learn and understand relational databases so you should watch this course by Richard Schneeman. It's fantastic and while it is oriented toward Ruby on Rails it's a great introduction.

Once you've got the basic theory under your belt it's time to dive in with a bit of practice. Head over to sqlzoo and run through the exercises. If you get stuck search google / stackoverflow for answers. Don't just copy & paste. Try and understand what you're doing!

Take good notes, it will help you remember things later on.

After you've done all this, and you feel confident that you like the work go to Udemy / Udacity and search for a few courses in things you're interested in. I'd try out the courses in the data scientist track on Udacity. You can view them for free, and if you pay some money you can get a certification (though how much its worth is still up in the air).

Ok - now time to really step it up. Go to codewars and work your way to at least 5kyu in SQL. It's technically Postgres, not MySQL - but the core concepts are the same. Read through "Thinking in Sets". Again - take notes! You want to remember this stuff.

Finally practice building a few databases of your own using workbench. Once you've got that down, practice building them using the command line. Now you're ready for a basic job using SQL :)

good luck!

>How many of you guys have had or are working towards a successful career with SQL?

I would generalize and say the majority of this sub are people who work with SQL or want to work with SQL. You may have a few hobbyists or folk who are doing their own thing and need to utilize SQL occasionally as well.

>Is it an rewarding career?

This is going to be a little broad of a question. I would expect most folk who have a career in SQL to enjoy it or at least find aspects of it rewarding. It's not a skill you accidentally build a career out of that you hate, you tend to gravitate to it or it accidentally finds you. Anyone who doesn't enjoy SQL typically gets out of it relatively quickly. (Either on purpose or accident.)

Data is important and valuable. The way many people lose their jobs in data is when they lose data and it is not recoverable. Likewise, if you develop something and it performs poorly and it affects those systems that holds data or perhaps damages the data, you likely won't keep your job.

As a result, you'll find people will either learn just enough to float by and drift or they will continually sharpen their skill-set and move up.

>What other software/tools would you recommend besides learning SQL to have a fun and a exhilarated career for a beginner?

To be honest, I feel like you could spend an entire career learning SQL. There is much more to it than how to write a simple query that returns data. Learning the technology and ideology of the database engine is a massive project and will take a very long time to master. I wouldn't recommend broadening your skill-set too far until you have the pieces down that you need. Once you can complete tasks or work on projects, then I would look at branching out skills.

Software that would compliment your learning in SQL would be business intelligence / reporting software (Crystal reports, SSRS, Power BI, Information Builders, etc.), programming languages (R and Python are very popular with SQL), additional scripting or computer languages like bash / powershell, documentation tools like snagit or Redgate's documentation toolset, quality assurance software, or network and administration software. It all depends on where you want to go, but I'd look at SQL to start if that is your interest and get heavily involved with it until you have a competency that can help you achieve value.

To add some more, here's part of a reply I sent to someone who was asking about getting a career in SQL:



>I would check out the twitter hash code #SQLCareer. A lot of the active SQL Server community (and some folks just active in SQL) blogged about what their day to day is like. This can give you a real world look into what it's like.
>
>There are two books I can recommend as well, the DBA Survivor by Tom Larock and also Data Professionals at work by Malathi Mahadevan.

​

I am an Oracle Certified Professional DBA. Oracle is a difficult piece of software to work with. It is the most powerful RDBMS around, but also the biggest pain to admin. It is also the best paying. You should really consider whether it is the best target for you. A good DBA needs to have a very wide range of technical skills, an Oracle DBA even more so. Other RDBMS have a somewhat lower barrier to entry, provide fantastic functionality and can be the basis for a great career.

If you are genuinely interested in being and Oracle DBA, start here. I have not used the 12c guide, but the previous editions are the best I know of outside of actually attending Oracle University training. Get that book, read it cover to cover, then read through everything you don't know by heart again. Do all of the practice tests until you think they're too easy, because they're easier than the test. Oracle's certifications are sought after and intentionally difficult.

You can download an installer and begin playing with the RDBMS at home. Try writing some complex reports. Make sure you understand function syntax. Learn the underlying OS of your choice. Once you've got that stuff down, you may be able to get a job as a Jr DBA. Best of luck!

You might not be doing anything wrong. The job search process is not a straightforward endeavor and you don't have insight into what's going on in the mind of the person across the table. Maybe they hired someone else because of nepotism. Maybe they didn't like the color of your tie. There's no telling. That said, there are probably things you could be doing better (which is true for everyone), but don't start with the assumption that you're doing something wrong. That can be counterproductive.

There are many options to volunteer outside of churches. (Though there are churches where you could volunteer without being a Christian anyway.) So, /u/admiralwaffles point about volunteering to build out your portfolio of completed DB projects is a good one. And volunteering is a good way to stay sane while going through the grueling and lonely process of the job search, because it provides the opportunity to work on interesting things and interact with other humans. If you're interested, pick something that you like and want to get better at and you'll be enhancing your skills at the same time you proving them and you'll create professional references you can include in your job applications.

You mentioned you have built projects with your new skills. Do you have them listed in your resume or cover letter? And do you have a way to show them to potential employers? Being able to demonstrate an interesting portfolio of work communicates much more to a hiring manager about your actual skills than saying that you completed some online courses.

For general job search advice, check out some of Donald Asher's books, like:

• "Cracking The Hidden Job Market: How to Find Opportunity in Any Economy", or
  
• "How to Get Any Job"
  
  He has some good insights into how to be more efficient at the search process and to find job opportunities that aren't immediately obvious.

SQL Queries for Mere Mortals is an excellent beginner's read front to back. The same guy wrote a database design book, which I did not find as helpful.

As for software, it depends on what database system you end up using. I use SQL Server and a little MySQL, but I know PostgreSQL, SQLite, and many others are popular.

If you're learning indipendantly, I'd start with MySQL , as it is free (open source) and you will be able to learn the basics of SQL in any SQL database. It also has a good free GUI development tool, MySQL Workbench, and a robust online community.

Like any programming language, the best way to learn is to build something with it. So start thinking of something you want to build, so you'll have something to do once you know enough to play around.

This book is designed specifically for the test. It covers everything on the test, and some things that aren't specifically on it but may help for other questions.

It also comes with practice test software that is very useful.

The test goes well beyond writing queries.

Be prepared for (not meant to be comprehensive):

• UDFs,
  
• window functions,
  
• defining and modifying tables and views,
  
• best use of data types,
  
• pivots
  
• using XML data
  
• CTEs
  
• creating and modifying triggers, stored procs
  
  Good luck!

False. Oracle is a RDBMS. To query an Oracle DB, you use SQL, just like you do with almost all other RDBMS. Granted, each DB can have its slightly different syntax, but it's generally all the same.

PL/SQL is a object-oriented procedural language for SQL and the Oracle database. This is similar (but much more powerful and feature rich) to SQL Server's T-SQL. It's modeled after the language Ada, which in turn is modeled after Pascal.

Get familiar with the anonymous block and DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE. Toad is by far your best (although super pricey) IDE for PL/SQL and it's debugger is great.

Make sure to pick up a copy of this book. It's seriously the only book that I've ever seen multiple copies of at every single job I've had. My current job actually calls it "Steve's Book" and it's often referred to as the PL/SQL Bible:

Oracle PL/SQL Programming

I would be useful to find out which specific DBMS they use but in the meantime I would recommend getting SQL in 10 Minutes, Sams Teach Yourself.

The book teaches ASNI (American National Standards Institute) SQL - all the general main concepts like SELECT, UPDATE that all DBMS share.

It has 22 chapters that each take 10 mins to read (but you should spend more time after each chapter practicing examples). It was incredibly helpful for me when I started learning as i knew 0 about SQL. There's a reason that books it #1 Best Seller. Once you find out what database they use you can learn DBMS-specific functions in addition.

I’ve been writing SQL for many years but this book (as recommended by many) has been a great help.


Learn T-SQL Querying: A guide to developing efficient and elegant T-SQL code https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789348811/

Yeah, job-title wise, things were similar. My background is a bit more technical, I did get a degree related to databases, and by the time I was interviewing other places I had passed both the 70-461 and 70-462 MS certificate tests. Certificates are definitely useful, mostly because you will be more confident in answering interview questions.

If you do want to do a cert, I would highly recommend the 70-461 test. The book is really good for that one, and it will set you apart from lots of others in your experience range. You could start by asking your boss if he would pay for the book (https://www.amazon.com/Training-70-461-Querying-Microsoft-Server/dp/0735666059). It will take some time to study it to be ready for the test. I think you should be able to get a new job without having passed the test. From my experience, not too many employers know about/are impressed by me having the 70-461 completed. But they are impressed by the amount of knowledge I have about databases, most of which came from that book.

Start studying, but really, networking is going to be very very valuable. You made it to the final round of interviews, imagine if a buddy was telling them that they HAVE to hire you? You would probably be a shoe-in. How does your network look on LinkedIn right now?

This website is really helpful for upping your SQL skills because it gives you instant feed back and provides problems that aren't overly easy to google.

This book is excellent and written by a God that is known to mortals as Itzik Ben-Gan.

This online SQL code formatter is my personal favorite

When you hit the wall this is also helpful

Hope that helps and remember in Codd we trust!

Select is exactly as it implies, it is what you are selecting. Performance wise, it's the same to say, give me everything vs give me one or two things. It's best to specify what you want, because if you don't need everything, you're going to pull a lot of network time trying to pull more data across. Also, it can break things. Example: My beginning point has 5 columns and so does my end point, I get sloppy, I just say, hey, just grab everything from my beginning point, insert it into my end point. What if I add a column in the future? It will break your code because the end point has 5 columns, but you added a 6th column to your beginning point and told it to grab everything.

For joins, practice. Lots of practice. This covers joins well: https://blog.codinghorror.com/a-visual-explanation-of-sql-joins/

Here are some books I'd highly recommend:

First book to read

Second book

Go download SQL 2016 developer, almost the same as enterprise and free. They have a huge DB for it that you can practice in.

You are getting some good advice from others but I'll give a slightly different take. One of the MS SQL exams is on querying SQL. Now take the exam or not - your call - but the book is a great way to introduce yourself to some advanced concepts like windowing functions.

Now other exam books (looking at you administering sql) are steaming piles of crap but the linked one is readable and you actually use what you've learned. The other issue is the old 'you don't know what you don't know.' The book will give you ideas and terms you can use to get better google results.

I completed the 70-761 T-SQL exam.

For the exam I used:

1. Edx - They have a free SQL course.
   https://www.edx.org/course/querying-data-with-transact-sql
   
2. I learnt basic and more complex topics from a book called 'Exam Ref 70-761 Querying Data with Transact-SQL' by Itzik Ben-Gan. The book has some really great examples.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Exam-70-761-Querying-Data-Transact-SQL/dp/1509304339
   
   I would recommend practising each new topic locally so you get a feel for it. I hope this helps!

You don't need to have formal coursework or a certification.


Learn however much you need to so that you feel comfortable honestly putting it on your resume in some way. Even if this means that your resume includes something along the lines of 'light SQL experience'. If you get into an interview make sure you set the right expectation about any skills listed on your resume like this. From the mouth of a VP - "I know this job won't require (insert random skill here). I put that on there so that I have an HR friendly reason to reject any candidate."


All that being said, check out this book:


https://www.amazon.com/SQL-Minutes-Sams-Teach-Yourself/dp/0672336073


It should get you a good enough understanding to be able to talk about SQL in an interview (assuming you level set with them correctly) to demonstrate that you took the job seriously enough to start learning. It's not a lot by any means, but it can give you an opportunity to convince the person interviewing you that you can learn it if needed.

I thought the book Head First SQL was extremely useful. It did a great job of explaining the concepts and getting me comfortable using SQL.

Hmm. Try searching for learn SQL Jacob. You should then see the same book, but free. :)

Edit: Try this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-SQL-Practical-Database-Fundamentals-ebook/dp/B07D5S2W4Y

http://db-class.org is open this quarter, and covers the fundamental relational database concepts.

SQL and Relational Theory is a solid next step. (and available using the free 10 day Safari Books Online trial account)

For specific syntax, refer to Microsoft's own product documentation. The SQL Server Books Online should have been installed on your workstation along with the client tools if you're using SSMS. The T-SQL language reference begins here.

You might also want to install one of the SQL Server editions on a workstation as a playground so you don't need to worry about breaking your production servers. Developer Edition is under $50 a seat. Express is free. There's also a time-limited full evaluation copy available here.

The best book would be Itzik Ben-Gan's T-SQL Fundamentals: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0735658145/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1375556912&sr=1-2&pi=SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp,TopRight,12,-18_SH30_OU01_AA160

You can also check out our free SQL tutorials on MidnightDBA.com I have a number of introductory videos on T-SQL (under the Dev) section.

This http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Server-2012-T-SQL-Fundamentals/dp/0735658145 excellent with great examples

The Exam Reference is probably the best resource out there. The Kindle Edition is only $16 as well and comes with a decent amount of sample questions.

https://www.amazon.com/Exam-70-761-Querying-Data-Transact-SQL-ebook-dp-B06Y21QGGQ/dp/B06Y21QGGQ/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=

Your code doesn't sound that bad. I once updated a series of reports (ie, vendor report, services report, etc.) that the previous guy made internally consistent by re-running the entire original base report (including select) in every other report because they were timing out. I honestly still wasn't too mad at him because he'd turned it from a 20+ step access db job into reports through SSRS.

I would focus on what you've identified.

For grouping, go through hackerrank's aggregation - https://www.hackerrank.com/domains/sql?filters%5Bsubdomains%5D%5B%5D=aggregation and/or Itzik Ben-Gan's TSQL Querying books chapter on grouping.

Having is a filter (where clause) that's applied after the data is grouped. You might group together orders by customer and filter out customers whose max order-date is more than a year ago. Most of my aggregate or grouped queries don't have a 'having' clause.

For performance, I you might look at some of your longest running reports and re-factor them using the execution plan, etc. Itzik's https://www.amazon.com/T-SQL-Querying-Developer-Reference-Ben-Gan/dp/0735685045/ has a chapter on query tuning. I'm not personally great at it because I don't use it a lot.

If you are the type that doesn't mind reading a book, there's a book called The Art of SQL, it's all about fine tuning queries for performance, it will definitely help you. https://www.amazon.com/Art-SQL-Peter-Robson-ebook/dp/B0028N4WEC

I wouldn't go that far, but the book has little practical value. Date is very knowledgeable, but he writes like an academic - he can take any piece of prose and suck the life out of it.
The Art of SQL is a much better book.

Itzik Ben-Gan has several books that come highly recommended. Carlos Chacon's Zero to SQL book is new and I've heard positive things.

https://www.amazon.com/T-SQL-Fundamentals-3rd-Itzik-Ben-Gan/dp/150930200X

https://www.amazon.com/Zero-SQL-20-Lessons-language-ebook/dp/B01MYORI53

A little off-topic, but I just got the Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes book (where each chapter is supposed to be 10 minutes). I just started learning SQL and this $20 book is pretty handy.

On Oracle? Best book SQL / PL/SQL book I've ever bought : Excuse the lack of hyperlink, on my phone. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1449324452/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1394853719&sr=1-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

I learned by reading Itzik Ben-Gan's T-SQL Fundamentals From what I read, he's considered the world's foremost authority on the T-SQL language (Microsoft's implementation of SQL) and also does a very good job teaching ANSI (standard) SQL. I'm actually finishing up this book now. I have around 30 pages or so left.

I really enjoyed and was able to build a strong foundation with Head First SQL

http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-SQL-Brain-Learners/dp/0596526849/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416913925&sr=8-1&keywords=head+first+sql&pebp=1416913929647

Orielly used to publish the first chapter online but I can't find t on their site right now.

Get this book and study it, and actually do all of the exercises and questions until you're comfortable.

http://www.amazon.com/SQL-Antipatterns-Programming-Pragmatic-Programmers/dp/1934356557/ref=pd_sim_b_3

http://www.amazon.com/Joe-Celkos-SQL-Smarties-Programming/dp/1558605762

http://www.amazon.com/Art-SQL-Stephane-Faroult/dp/0596008945/ref=pd_sim_b_4

http://www.amazon.com/SQL-Relational-Theory-Write-Accurate/dp/0596523068/ref=pd_sim_b_7

And then read a book on whichever dialect of SQL you're using, because they're pretty different.

There is a list of training resources in the sidebar. I bought

https://www.amazon.com/SQL-Minutes-Sams-Teach-Yourself/dp/0672336073

and its pretty handy. I get most of my basics now from w3schools or stack overflow.

I found this book to be really good:

https://www.amazon.com/Art-SQL-Peter-Robson-ebook-dp-B0028N4WEC/dp/B0028N4WEC/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1568905015

If you are doing BI with MS SQL I would also start learning DAX.

Try this book: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Server-2012-T-SQL-Fundamentals/dp/0735658145. It will be useful to you working with SQL Server

I recommend [SQL Queries for Mere Mortals ($36.64)](SQL Queries for Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Data Manipulation in SQL (3rd Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321992474/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_nCQrybW9TPPNN) and [Database Design for Mere Mortals ($31.57)](Database Design for Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Relational Database Design (3rd Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321884493/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CDQrybA2508FS)

Both helped guide me through my masters program, and they are fairly affordable.

Is this the cover?

Assuming MSSQL, two quick book tips:

https://www.amazon.de/T-SQL-Querying-Developer-Reference-Paperback/dp/0735685045

https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/t-sql-window-functions-for-data-analysis-and-beyond-9780135861448

I think this is a great beginners / fundamentals book. It will give you an in depth focus on the basics:

​

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Server-Fundamentals-Developer-Reference/dp/0735658145/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1536613857&sr=8-3&keywords=tsql+fundamentals

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0735666059/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1404265021&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

Check this out for the Querying T SQL 2012 exam.

The Itzik Ben Gan books on Querying T-SQL are invaluable imo. T-SQL fundamentals covers most things you will need to know:

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Server-Fundamentals-Developer-Reference/dp/0735658145/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

You can download all the training kits books and only give all the tests.


70-461


70-462

70-463

• Beginners: Practical SQL Handbook or SQL Primer (Disclosure: I wrote the latter)
  
• Advanced: The Art of SQL and SQL Antipatterns
  
• Reference: Introduction to SQL or SQL Cookbook

This, and this.

I'd check out 'Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012', it's said to be one of the best - and it's also an exam prep book for 70-461.

Unfortunately OReilly no longer carries it, as MS apparently took back all of the MS Press rights from them - but if you happen to be in Canada it's ridiculously cheap on Amazon.ca right now, has an exam prep on the CD, and a 10% off coupon for the exam as well.

Take an afternoon, read this book.

Read this blog post.

Get a copy of the Chinook database, start querying random shit to see what comes up.

That should get you 80% of the way there.