What is SQL?
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a coding language for querying data in databases. It is effectively used to insert, search, update, delete, modify database records.
SQL database vs. Excel: What’s the difference?
Both a database and Excel organize data into rows and columns, but databases are more powerful than Excel spreadsheets because:
- Databases can process more data than spreadsheets. Whereas Excel can handle up to 1 million rows of data, a database like MYSQL can handle over a billion rows.
- Databases can interact with other programming languages such as Python, Ruby, or Java, allowing you to execute many more powerful tasks and queries with your data.
- Databases can connect to the internet, allowing millions of users to access them at the same time.
Why do you need to learn SQL?
- SQL is used by Google, Amazon, Apple, Airbnb, Netflix, Uber, Wells Fargo, Shopify, WordPress, and hundreds of thousands of other companies. In short, SQL is everywhere!
- SQL job skills are in high demand
- SQL is one of the most robust and easy-to-use programming languages.
Databases are used every day, in all fields of business, and they are the backbone of many of today’s companies. Almost all of the biggest companies in technology worldwide use SQL. According to Stack Overflow, SQL is the third most popular programming language after HTML/CSS and JavaScript.
Where can a career with SQL take you?
According to Indeed, there are over 2,400 openings – as of January 2022 – regionally that require SQL skills. Some of those might include:
Azure/AWS Expert
BI Administrator
BI Developer
BI Manager
BI Solution Architect
BI/Business Analyst
Big Data Architect
Big Data Expert
Data Analyst
Data Scientist
Database Administrator (DBA)
Database Developer
Database Engineer
Database Migration Engineer
Developer
ETL Developer
Journalist
Microsoft Certified Trainer/Trainer
NoSQL DBA
Quality Assurance Tester
Reporting Engineer
Researcher/Educator
Speaker
SQL Server Writer
What SQL classes are offered at Laurel Ridge Workforce Solutions?
Introduction to SQL
Learn how to write SQL code to create and populate database tables and how to write simple SQL queries that are capable of retrieving vast amounts of information from a database. In this course, you will discover the power of the relational database, how to create and manage database tables, and how to use SQL SELECT statements to precisely pinpoint and retrieve data from a database.
Intermediate SQL
Discover how to write powerful SQL queries that enable you to retrieve data from one table or from multiple tables stored in the database simultaneously. In this course, you will learn how to retrieve more meaningful data from one or more tables stored in a database. You will learn how to merge data from multiple columns, how to create calculated fields, and how to order and group the results from a query. You will also learn how to create a single join query or subquery to obtain data from multiple tables simultaneously.
Advanced SQL
Take your SQL query skills to a new level by learning how to write more advanced SQL queries for enhanced decision making. In this course, you will learn how to write advanced subqueries, advanced join queries, and UNION queries that query more than one table. You will learn how to use transaction processing to ensure SQL statements execute completely or not at all and how to create stored procedures that enable you to store SQL statements for execution.
SQL Certificate
After successful completion of the SQL series, this certificate will enhance your competitiveness in the field of database administration and data analyst jobs.
