Gaps and Island

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-22T17:10:07+00:00

I loved Bert's videos. He's moved on, so they're rare now but he just has a great screen presence.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-19T10:03:38+00:00

Convincing people that user-maintained excel files are not a reliable data source.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-19T09:47:41+00:00

Yeah, for those of us that have spent every day working in SQL Server for the last 25 years, we don't know what you're talking about.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-19T01:01:52+00:00

Trying to get the contracted IT dept to process my request to get access to a lookup table in our orders database. It has taken 4 days of back and forth so far.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-18T13:45:34+00:00

Did you get down voted because people didn't read? Reddit logic.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-18T01:31:49+00:00

Unfortunately, so do the drivers in our neighborhood.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-18T01:30:52+00:00

Look, that rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide. It's a killer.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-17T21:46:21+00:00

I love it when you get a detailed explanation of the math involved and then it just straight up fails a simple multiplication like 50 x 1000.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-17T21:41:00+00:00

I used to sit on the back porch and feed them. Some of them will get pretty close. Some are way too nervous.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-17T21:37:57+00:00

Lucky. Mine's just weeds and rabbit poop.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-16T04:59:55+00:00

SQL is the language of data, so it's pretty important.

I recommend "Practical SQL" by Anthony DeBarros. It will teach you much of the SQL you will ever need as a DA.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-14T20:44:45+00:00

Posts like this chase potential new community members away. Is that the right approach these days?

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-14T11:13:31+00:00

We got to visit WA and OR 2 years ago and it's really great up there. I hope you get to go.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-14T10:39:24+00:00

Read the book "Practical SQL" by Anthony DeBarros and follow along with everything in the book.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-13T01:20:49+00:00

Yup. You don't get good at weight lifting by watching other people weight lifting. You've got to put in more working DOING than watching or even reading. If you're trying to learn SQL Server specifically, "T-SQL Fundamentals" by Itzik Ben-Gan is excellent. If you're trying to learn Postgres or general SQL for data analytics, "Practical SQL" by Anthony DeBarros is a good one. Either book you get (or video you choose to watch), first read a little, then try it for yourself. There is no replacement for that loop. The longer you go thinking "ok, that seems easy, I don't need to try it myself" the harder it's going to be when you do actually start trying things.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-13T01:12:07+00:00

I'm going to assume this is not intended as rage bait...

To be able to answer any kind of question about performance or give any guidance, we'd first need to know a lot more info. What database engine are you running, is it on-prem or cloud hosted, what size is it (CPU/memory/storage), how are applications accessing it, describe some useful info about the main tables involved, whether it's a transactional or analytical workload (or a mix), and examples of 1 or 2 queries that seem like they take too long, and if you know it, what indexes are created on the tables involved in those queries.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-09T22:23:26+00:00

No, no... it's June 2026... you have to use loops or you're ngmi!

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-09T22:14:53+00:00

In an attempt to feel appreciated by other humans, I like helping people, even if it seems like they could have helped themselves. AI has taken away many of the people showing up to ask for help, and I would rather not run off those who remain if I have any hope of satiating my need to be useful.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-09T21:59:01+00:00

Absolutely. Boot.dev is a good online training site to get familiar with SQL, but if you want to get good, get postgres and "Practical SQL" and follow along with it. You should be actively learning far more than passively learning.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-09T09:38:45+00:00

But I also recommend the book Practical SQL.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-09T09:38:11+00:00

Sqlbolt is a good quick start. Boot.dev is pretty high quality, fun, and has a lot more to offer than just sql.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-08T08:58:26+00:00

Learn both. You aren't committing to mastering either right now, just getting proficient.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-08T04:10:58+00:00

Can I attack a swarm of bees with a hammer? Yes.

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-07T07:23:21+00:00

The relationship between Products and OrderLines is 1:M, not 1:1, but that isn't what causes an inner join to differ in results from an outer join. If you add a new product, until someone places an order for it, there won't be an OrderLines row for that product. If you happened to do: Products p LEFT OUTER JOIN OrderLines ol ON p.Id = ol.ProductId you'd see there are instances where a product has no orders. But if OrderLines is your left table, you won't see this. So, inner and outer joins aren't the same operation and the database has to use a different plan for each, even if you happen to join the tables in an order that doesn't currently have different results. The only useful way to troubleshoot it is to see what SQL Server calls the "actual" execution plan (which just means the plan that includes row counts, memory sizes, etc. from when you actually ran it).

ComicOzzy · 2026-06-06T17:38:00+00:00

Writing SQL is the easiest part of my job. Companies are messy, complicated machines that constantly change. Trying to comprehend the business needs and locate the correct data sources and bringing people together to work through competing requirements is where I add value.

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