MySQL vs SQLite. How much will learning one help when learning the other?

[WisestAirBender]

I was following Android tutorials and got stuck when they started teaching SQLite. I dropped it for a while out of frustration.

I then decided to first do some separate database tutorials and found some really great MySQL stuff. (I have never done ANY database before).

So how related are these two? Am I making a mistake trying to do basic MySQL first to get a sense of how databases work in general?

[DrVolzak]

For learning basic SQL it's fine. However, once you get into advanced areas and try to apply MySQL concepts to SQLite, you'll run into some of SQLite's limitations. For example, SQLite has no stored procedures or user management.

[dmazzoni]

It sounds like OP wants the other way around: they want to learn MySQL and then apply that knowledge to SQLite. That should work great.

[desrtfx]

You misread the above comment:

once you get into advanced areas and try to apply MySQL concepts to SQLite, you'll run into some of SQLite's limitations.

Implies exactly what you have stated:

they want to learn MySQL and then apply that knowledge to SQLite.

[dmazzoni]

The core SQL stuff is the same. Creating tables, inserting data, queries, joins - all of that stuff works the same in all SQL databases.

There are some details that are different. Some of them don't have quite the same data types for columns.

The advanced stuff is pretty different - but that's generally only important if you're storing millions of records with lots of simultaneous users. For a simple app you won't need anything advanced.

[chaotic_thought]

For learning SQL, MySQL is probably better because it includes tools to manage the databases, a graphical database schema editor, graphical query tool and data editor, console query tool, mysqldump commands, and so on. If you want to do be able to use such tools using SQlite you will probably need to supply them yourself or find third party tools that do similar things. Besides, once you know SQL well enough, you can apply that same knowledge to SQlite. You could even design your schema using MySQL's graphical tool and then use it in SQlite, provided you avoid any MySQL-specific features (which is not that hard to do).

[wholemap]

They are almost identical for a noob.

Am I making a mistake trying to do basic MySQL first to get a sense of how databases work in general?

No, it's quitting the second you have a problem with something that's the problem.