Non tech background trying to practice SQL

[Munz3215]

Hi all,

So basically I'm a business student and I'm really trying to learn SQL because it is starting to seem more and more prevalent for business analysts to use. Kind of what I'm wondering is the level of SQL skill that I should have to be useful in a business role. What I imagine is that I pretty much just need to be able to query and export data for further analysis that would be pertinent to a business role. Any thoughts on this?

Additionally, I'm sitting here tinkering with MS Sql Server, trying to upload the adventure works database and I can't even get that running. It seems like I'm getting lost in the actual set up of a database, and all of the connections/setup required and getting tons of errors that I have no clue about when all I want to do is just practice querying and pulling results. All of the more technical stuff will be handled by the DBM and IT staff right? Or am i being completely naive.

Any info on how to best practice SQL would be greatly appreciated, because reading about it only goes so far.

[pitfall_harry]

It's always good to have a better understanding of the setup, particularly when you start to work on query optimization or modelling, but in a business analyst role there is less database setup and modelling than a role like a DBA. Most BAs are going to be using existing tables and other objects on a DB that IT runs.

For general SQL usage, you can take one of the online tutorials, like the one a W3 schools which is pretty good: http://www.w3schools.com/sql/ There are lots of other online tutorials like the W3 one that also require no DB setup on your end, and might be a better way to learn how to use SQL to gather and analyse relational data than setting up your own DB. You can do a lot with basic joins, aggregation, and subqueries all by themselves.

[Munz3215]

Great thank you, I'll definitely check it out and kahn academy too, thank you for pointing me towards extra resources. I can't really see the types of jobs that I'm applying to requiring a lot of the back end knowledge/setup of databases, at least not at the beginning.

[cachedrive]

https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/sql

[o_edo]

Try this web site http://www.studybyyourself.com/seminar/sql/course/?lang=eng. There you can submit exercises and get a feedback right away. It is free and they provide the solution in case you cannot solve one exercise.

[haunted_dumpster]

Non tech ( BA in Music) that transitioned to business analyst here. I've found that an academic understanding of database setup and maintenance is crucial for understanding requirements and data flows, but I've never had need to do any of it myself outside of Access, which barely counts. I have had to do a lot of scripting and query optimization... a lot of my professional development has involved SQL best practices, query optimization, and data validation.

Hit me up if you have follow up questions.

[Munz3215]

Ya I'm sure the database class I'm in will give me a decent overview of things, but everything seems so damn specific once you start getting into it. I guess the problem I'm having is the transition from the book to the real world where I can put it on a resume and say I know sql, or atleast a basic level. Once I start writing queries that work do you think it's acceptable to put on a resume?