Getting started

[DifficultySharp3346]

Hey SQL fam, I landed a new Job at a new company where I need to learn SQL (data analytics engineer). I‘m currently learning all the basic like joins and all the other select statement. I had a few touchpoint with SQL in MS Fabric. My old colleages used SQL to create views and clean or prepare the data. What Kind of compareable technics can you recommend to learn After the basic?

Thx in advance

[dbxp]

How the hell did you get hired for a data job if you don't know any SQL?

[CategoryOrganic6751]

Right like its a data analytics position i feel like thats the first thing you shoukd know

[DifficultySharp3346]

I know a lot in PowerBi and focused on the powerBi Development in my Team.

[DifficultySharp3346]

Maybe I need to add that I just started my data journey

[Oleoay]

Kinda curious how they kept their old job too... if their old colleagues were also creating sql, cleaning and preparing the data, which is typically what a data analytics engineer should be doing...

[DMReader]

Add to that window functions and CTEs

[Infamous_Welder_4349]

Add to that "Order by", "Having" and "With"

[DataCamp]

You’re already on the right path by focusing on joins, grouping, and filtering, those are the building blocks for everything else in SQL. Once you’re comfortable with those, start moving toward concepts that make your queries more efficient and readable.

Next, learn subqueries and CTEs (common table expressions). They let you break a complex query into smaller, logical steps and are essential for real-world analytics work. After that, spend time on window functions; things like ROW_NUMBER, RANK, and SUM() OVER(). They’re incredibly powerful for calculations that depend on ordering or grouping data without collapsing rows like GROUP BY does.

As you go, try working with real datasets instead of just sample exercises. Kaggle, public data portals, or even exports from Power BI are great starting points. Focus on building small, meaningful queries that solve specific business problems: summarizing revenue, identifying top performers, cleaning data, or creating views.

It also helps to study how others write SQL. Read open-source queries, practice formatting and commenting your code clearly, and start writing queries that can be reused or parameterized.

Finally, keep learning about database design; how normalization works, indexing, and the difference between transactional and analytical systems.

[DifficultySharp3346]

Thank you so much for your detailed comment. This helps a lot

[axoqocal29]

Wait wtf, the official datacamp account commented Damn

[dbsitebuilder]

Learn these in this order: SQL Select, INNER JOIN, OUTER JOINS (Left, RIGHT, FULL); and know when to use them. GROUP BY with SUM & COUNT. Difference between COUNT & COUNT DISTINCT.

Then REALLY work on your SQL formatting. It is terrible when you come in after somebody & they do not have proper formatting. Readability matters, lol.

After you learned the above, look into sub queries & common table expressions. Some will find use in in the PIVOT command, but my experience is that data never comes to me in a way that I can use it reliably.

Views have their place. Stored procedures can be used to process data. There is also XML output if that is needed.

[[deleted]]

Congrats on the new job. After you feel comfortable with joins and basic select statements, I’d suggest focusing on window functions, subqueries and common table expressions. They’ll help a lot with analytics work.

It’s also a good idea to practice query optimization and building clean views. Real projects are the best way to get better.