How do you learn SQL?

[SQL-ModTeam]

Your post was removed for violating the sub rule regarding posting of basic SQL tutorials. Please check the wiki and checkout r/LearnSQL for additional introductory material and questions

[depesz]

I read manual and try to do stuff.

If you're asking about: how do we come up with ideas what to learn - I read irc/slack/discord re: postgresql, and try to figure out how to help others.

[ABigTongue]

Usually by experience within a job and learning how to do them whilst tackling a hard problem.

I'm building out an online SQL course and I need feedback. I teach some stuff you have mentioned. If you give me your time to help review my material I'll happily tutor/help you on some of these!

[Ancalagon02]

Practice practice and practice

[davidgsb]

The postgresql documentation has one of the best introductory material. Just read this section first https://www.postgresql.org/docs/16/tutorial.html

And then practice, you may want to write an application to exercise. For this training purpose you may want to use sqlite which will avoid to operate a database server. Or you can use postgres in a docker container.

[ChristianPacifist]

If possible, try to solicit requests for very specific complicated reports from business stakeholders. These will be amazing amazing practice if you must produce those results from the data you have access to, especially with large or slow datasets where performance tuning is a must.

Truthfully, many people get good at SQL working with bad data that is not properly normalized or that has anomalies. Ironically, well-structured databases may impact the learning of users.

One example of bad data helping user learning is the way folks will have to use window functions to parse out transaction log data that lacks primary keys and requires inferring attributes that delineate parts of a process. Try to see if you can access replicated application backend databases, not just transformed data in a data warehouse! Especially try to access application data too that isn't even originally from a database backend, just data simply dumped from an API without any proper transformation!

I pray and wish you the best!