A type of language used for database operations is popularly known as SQL. It provides a variety of functions such as creating databases, fetching rows, deleting various rows, modifying rows and columns, etc. SQL became a standard language in an ANSI(American National Standard Institute) in 1986. There are many different versions of SQL available. SQL stands for the Structured Query Language. It is a computer language used for the manipulation of data, storing and retrieving the information stored in relational databases.
SQL is used as a standard language for the Relational Databases Management Systems (RDMS). All relational database systems such as MySQL, MS Access, Informix, Sybase, Oracle, Postgres, and many SQL servers use SQL as the standard language for their databases. It is widely popular among many fields as it offers numerous advantages. It provides users to set permission on tables, views and procedures, embedding to other languages using SQL libraries, modules, and pretty compilers. It permits users to drop and create tables and databases.
It offers users access to Relational Database Management Systems(RDMS) and also creates views and stored procedure functions in the database. Some of the basic commands used in SQL to interact with the Relational Database Management Systems are INSERT, CREATE, UPDATE, SELECT, DROP and DELETE, etc. These are further classified into subcategories as per their nature of work into DDL(Data Definition Language), DML(Data Manipulation Language), and DCL (Data Control Language).
Websites to learn SQL
There are many websites available over the internet for learning the basics of SQL. Some of the top websites for learning SQL basics are discussed below.
SQLZoo
SQLZoo is one of the most popular and referred websites for learning the basics of SQL online. It provides both a number of exercises and a tutorial for the one who is just getting started with SQL and also practice questions for those programs you want to enhance their programming skills. It offers easy-to-understand tutorials online. It comes with the SQL clauses such as CREATE to make new databases, SELECT clause to read data, ALTER to change information, and DELETE to remove information and tables. It also shares advanced concepts like views, GROUPBY, SQL joins, subqueries, Indexes, etc. SQLZoo is also having several puzzles and quizzes to test your knowledge.
SQL course by Stanford University
Stanford University offers a SQL course online for free of cost. This is another good option for learning SQL basics and advanced concepts. It offers you SQL learning through both registered and non-registered users options. If you want to keep track of your learning process it’s better to choose the registered user option. This website also avails you with entire study course materials for free e.g. course slides, SQL scripts, etc. This course also contains good videos and tutorials to explain concepts of SQL and Relational databases.
SQL course from Khan Academy
Khan Academy is one of the best websites to learn and enhance knowledge in the field of programming and computer science online. It has a good tutorial for learning SQL. The title of the program is “Intro to SQL: Querying and Managing Databases.” In this tutorial, you will be taught about the query, storing, and manipulation of information through the use of a variety of tools. SQL is a language designed for special-purpose programming used in relational databases for managing and manipulating data in a number of organizations and applications.
Ebooks for SQL
With the help of books available over a wide range over the internet, you can head towards the basic learning of SQL with ease. If you want to keep the conceptual part with in-depth knowledge of some programming then you are recommended to refer to the following books for betterment of your skillset.
SQL in 10 minutes, Sams Teach Yourself
This is the best book to learn SQL for beginners. In this book, there are 22 short and quick chapters that deal with very simple and basic data retrieval to complex issues. This book includes topics such as subqueries, use of joints, cursors, stored procedures, triggers, and table constraints. With this book you are able to deal with sorting, retrieving, formatting database contents, joining two or more related tables, inserting, deleting and updating tables, etc.
Head First SQL
This book is another great way to go with building your foundational knowledge in SQL language. This teaches you fundamentals in a very user-friendly manner. It covers entire concepts ranging from database manipulation and changes with indices, transactions, and joins. This book makes you eligible to build new data and write queries and develop and join information. The specialty of this book is it makes SQL very interesting, challenging, and fun to learn. It’s a very good featured book that makes you understand concepts better and quicker.
Online courses for SQL
There are many free online courses and tutorials that are available to you for SQL learning over the cloud infrastructure some of the top courses are mentioned below
The Complete SQL Bootcamp 2020: Go from Zero to Hero(Udemy)
This course is offered by Udemy, which is a beginner level and a comprehensive package that allows you to learn great demanding skills such as PostgreSQL and techniques involved in reading and writing complex database problems or queries. This program helps you to gain access to the real-world scenario and detailed overview for SQL syntax basics, analyzing data, running advanced queries, etc. This course is of approximately nine hours duration. You will gain all the basic concepts to start SQL with this course. It is available for free of cost and some more attractive offers by Udemy.
SQL for Data Science( Coursera)
This another fantastic course that is provided by Coursera is created primarily to guide you and make you proficient in SQL. This helps you to build the basic foundation of SQL with this course, encouraging Data Scientists to recreate deeper in the data analysis fields. You will become eligible for sorting, calculating and filtering data with SQL, selecting and retrieving data using the basics of SQL. This is a beginner-level program that has a 14 hours duration. This course provides certification for your knowledge earned.
Conclusion
In the above-discussed websites, e-books, and courses you get knowledge of what kind of level you possess regarding SQL basics. Here we discussed some of the best and most likely preferred sources for SQL learning, hence you may choose any of the options mentioned above as per availability for your resources and time which will help to make you develop and enhance your skills set.
