Learning SQL

TheFORCE

I want to learn some SQL and was wondering, what tools/software you need to have to learn SQL. My computer is running windows XP.

bighornsheep

SQL is a database language and a database server.

You have to use with a SQL server.
You can install Internet Information Services on your XP pro machine, install MySQL (a free SQL Server), and the PHP module.

Pick up a book on php that talks about embedded SQL commands, and start from there. but remember, if in doubt 'select' is your friend.

Cheers!

TheFORCE

are you suggesting that i start off with php first?

bighornsheep

SQL is an interface language to communicate with a database server.

You need a programming language to implement the results from the database server produced from SQL commands. I dont know if you can actually use MySQL locally with command lines, but a language like PHP can communicate with it via SQL commands, the result will be handled by the PHP handler which is communicated to a browser through your IIS Server (HTTP Server)

I havent used anything else other than MySQL and DB2, I dont know and dont think you can simply install a DB2, that would cost too much...if you are still in school and can get access to a DB2 server, you can simply write Shell scripts that can implement your SQL commands. Otherwise I think using PHP,MySQL, and IIS is your best option.

Ever heard of LAMP configuration? It's like the most popular way of hosting websites, and tons and tons of sites are running this configuration. Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP.

If you already know Linux, that's cool, otherwise you can do your own version of LAMP, with Windows, IIS (a HTTP server like Apache), MySQL, PHP.

In fact, this forum is a perfect example of what I am talking about. the posting page, posting.php is a php script that loads SQL commands communicating with MySQL, that spits back the result of the different threads, the PHP handler can process that into HTML code that the browser understands transmitted by the Web server (HTTP server, for instance Apache, or IIS).

Hope that helps.....

garv221

Setup MS SQL server and enterprise manager. I run a huge databse that uses SQL to run reports from Crystal and another webserver pushes .asp pages hosted IIS. Its actualy pretty simple and like any other language, SQL only does what it is told to do.

petedude

IBM does have a demo version of DB2 you can download. I haven't tried integrating it with any HTTP servers yet, though.

You could also try the "WAMP" route-- rather than Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP you could do Windows/Apache/MySQL/PHP. There's one outfit that actually sells a CD install for this combo online but their name escapes me at the moment.

sprkymrk

Check out this link if you want to download a free 180 day trial of SQL 2005 or a free unlimited use of SQL 2005 Express (limited to 4GB size).

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/downloads/trial-software.mspx

If you need to obtain an eval copy of Server 2003 to run it on check here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/trial/default.mspx

JDMurray

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a database query language and nothing else. Have a look at the Wikipedia entry for SQL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sql

As for programming tools that use SQL, Microsoft Visual Studio Express and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express are completely free: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/

Danman32

You can get a free version of MS SQL server Express 2005, which is commonly used with VB Express 2005.

sprkymrk

Danman32 wrote:

You can get a free version of MS SQL server Express 2005, which is commonly used with VB Express 2005.

Already posted the link.

sprkymrk wrote:

or a free unlimited use of SQL 2005 Express (limited to 4GB size).

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/downloads/trial-software.mspx

Danman32

Ah sorry. Sometimes there's so much to read, I have to skim.

Olajuwon

DBAs make lots of money, dude. Keep going and don't give up even when the lessons look intimidating. It won't make since to you at first, remember that. You just have to be willing to learn it.

rcoop

Some good suggestions above.

Learning SQL (Structured Query Language) is a great way to understand how usable data is pulled from relational (and some) flat-file databases. You use SQL with many different database file stores, and some, like MySQL, use it against multiple database engines. Microsoft SQL Server is a Database Management System (DBMS), and so is Oracle and MySQL.

It is important to distinguish between 'SQL' and 'SQL Server'.

SQL is a non-proprietary query language (and ANSI-SQL is the international standard).

MS SQL Server is Microsoft's small business and enterprise database management system (which includes a database engine, and multiple management, development, and service related applications.) It uses a version of SQL (the language) called Transact-SQL, or T-SQL, that it's Views or Stored Procedures are written in.)

Oracle (PL*SQL is its version of SQL), MySQL, Sybase SQL Anywhere, R:Base, and IBM's DB2 are other database servers.

A wonderful SQL book, that I have used for reference and bought all three editions over the years, is SAMS' Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes by Ben Forta. Although I mainly use SQL Server at work, I find it is one of the best and concise books on the most useful DDL (Data Definition Language) and DML (Data Manipulation Language) SQL commands, and the third edition covers the minor nuances of IBM DB2, Oracle, MS Access, MS SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Sybase Adaptive Server. Trying to translate T-SQL to Oracle's SQL was a pain before I got this little gem of a reference. It also has an appendix on working with a few popular applications (it's a summary... remember 10 minutes for each of its 22 Chapters), such as Aqua Data Studio, DB2, Macromedia ColdFusion, MS Access, MS ASP, MS ASP.NET, MS Query, MS SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, PHP, PostgreSQL, Query Tool, Sybase, and configuring ODBC data sources. [ISBN: 0-672-32567-5]

Although there are a ton of job roles centered around databases, the two main ones are (with much overlap), is database administration and database programming.

Database Administration often will consist of maintaining the actual instances of the database servers, securing them, backing them up, maintaining the 'sa', 'sysadmin', or 'root' password to the database server, setting up user roles and possibly performing ETL (DTS in MS SQL Server) functions.

Database Programming often involves creation of Stored Procedures (called stored procs or sprocs), Views, Triggers, User Defined Functions (UDFs), and possibly even some C# or VB.NET now with SQL Server 2005.

Kinda got long winded there... so I hope you're still awake! Good luck, and it is always a good thing to have SQL knowledge in your toolbelt.

Take Care,
RCoop

sprkymrk

rcoop wrote:

It is important to distinguish between 'SQL' and 'SQL Server'.

SQL is a non-proprietary query language (and ANSI-SQL is the international standard).

MS SQL Server is Microsoft's small business and enterprise database management system (which includes a database engine, and multiple management, development, and service related applications.) It uses a version of SQL (the language) called Transact-SQL, or T-SQL, that it's Views or Stored Procedures are written in.)

Good point rcoop. Being a network guy, I automatically think "SQL Server" and forget that SQL is a query language. Thanks for the clarification.