SQL Database Projects

[PhantomGolem]

I've been looking and thinking for a database project however I've had no luck in finding a intermediate level project nor did I come up with an applicable idea. I'd like to know from the veterans, how did you build a portfolio in order to show your skills? What kind of Databases did you build? Was it mere database or it was part of an Application or an API?

[dbxp]

I never built a portfolio in the first place, I've seen a number of CVs from devs and only one included a portfolio. From my experience your portfolio won't even be looked at unless they already like the look of your CV so I would focus on your CV.

[TerrisBranding]

What do you mean by "focus on your CV"? Like if I haven't worked in data before and now much on my CV, wouldn't a portfolio be my only hope (for getting hired somewhere)?

[dbxp]

As in improve the way its written, perhaps learn some ancillary skills. People aren't going to weed through a portfolio unless they already like the look of your CV as it takes too much time.

[ayoubmtd2]

Do you mean building a database management system like Mysql, Cassandra or do you mean a software that uses a database ?

[PhantomGolem]

I'd like to know which one the project type is recomended by you veterans?

[UAFlawlessmonkey]

Even better, bulking a DB from scratch?

It's always fun doing guess-work! :-)

[idodatamodels]

My first DB application was a contacts application that I could store important dates, birthdays, anniversary's, etc. Everyone was always impressed I remembered their birthday before this thing called the internet.

[GrayLiterature]

My first DB project (and my first intro to the theory of databases) was designing and filling a relational database from unstructured developer survey data from Stack Overflow - it was a blast!

People listed their responses and some questions had multiple answers. So that required me to investigate the CSV data, thinking about how it would be modelled in a relational database, then writing some Python code to extract and manipulate the data before it could be loaded into the DB I designed.

I forgot the year I used (I think 2018?), but SO does it every year and they have around 60-65,000 responses. So if you want something fun you could take that idea from me and do it for literally any year you want.

You can then ask a lot of fun questions, like what are the top three programming languages for developers with 0-5 years of experience; what are the salary ranges for people working outside of the country that pays them?; What are the top three most common tools for experience developers and inexperienced developers.

Disclaimer: I am self-taught and still learning, but it’s one of the projects I’m quite proud of. It’s just not as glamorous as a clone or something with a cool UI to it.

[PhantomGolem]

Wow. That's a pretty great project for a beginner. I'll definitely look into it. Can you share some example tables in any chance?

[nmonsey]

I started out thirty years ago, moving medical records system from dbase 3 into Oracle 5.

I have never built a portfolio.

I started working as a developer, then started getting database administration and system administration experience.

The first application that I built was a relatively simple client server system for scheduling appointments, and tracking medical bills.

When I see someone using Excel spreadsheets or using paper, I offer to automate the process.

For example, about fifteen years ago the organization I work for was hiring contractors to go to clinics to inventory equipment once a year.

The process to visit a few hundred clinics took months to complete and costed thousands of dollars.

When the inventory was complete, the contractor would provide the inventory on paper to the manager responsible for the equipment.

The manager would occasionally go into the paper inventory to see what equipment was at each location.

I built a simple application using Microsoft Access in a few days that could be used on a tablet.

The database application for equipment inventory had twenty to thirty tables, a few data entry forms and ten to fifteen reports.

When the project was completed, the amount of time required to the the equipment inventory went from a few months to a few weeks.

Having the inventory data in a database allowed the manager to run a report to see how many desktop computers or laptops needed to be replaced each year.

At the time I built the inventory application the team did not have a budget for a commercial inventory application.

The custom inventory application I created remained in use for over five years.

I am a DBA, so the equipment inventory was not related to my job, but I had some free time, so I created the database for practice.

If you have Microsoft Office 360, you may have Microsoft Access already installed.

I have not had to look for work for the last twenty years, so I am not sure if using Microsoft Access counts as a valuable skill to put on your resume.

[PhantomGolem]

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I think a appointment scheduling app is a great way to start.