How to Upgrade T-SQL Skills

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How to Upgrade T-SQL Skills

Super Cat

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Points: 7334
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September 27, 2016 at 2:40 am

#329978

Hi All,
I'm a production DBA and have been for a good while.
I can query, join filters but how do I get my T-sql skills to a developer\Report writer level.
Books don't do it for me, links to useful youtube sights will be most usefull.
Are an MVP to follow. I have been putting this off for years now.
Thanks

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 19 total)

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MadAdmin SSChampion Points: 11261 More actions · Answer 1

Find out how to bring the latest state of the art hardware to its knees, what type of code is needed to make a mockery of the most awesome servers.

Basically, if you can come up with a set of worst TSQL or DB practices, then you are much better than most of us already.

Just doing the investigation will be a wealthy experience cos you will know what to avoid and in the process, you may accidentally learn the good stuff.

Catch-all queries done right [/url]
Gail Shaw's Performance Blog[/url]

Phil Parkin SSC Guru Points: 246971 More actions · Answer 2

Try to solve the various T-SQL problems that other people post here ... and compare your solutions with those written by others. You'll learn a lot if you take the time to understand how and why they did it the way they did.

The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Martin Rees

You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.
Stan Laurel

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398898 More actions · Answer 3

Phil Parkin (9/27/2016)
Try to solve the various T-SQL problems that other people post here ... and compare your solutions with those written by others. You'll learn a lot if you take the time to understand how and why they did it the way they did.

Very much this. The best way to get better at writing T-SQL is to write a lot of T-SQL. You may not have much opportunity at work, so you have to find other places. Any time I'm learning new tech or expanding my skill set, I try really hard to find the questions related to that on the forums and attempt to provide answers. It's a great way to get better & learn.

Another thing to help you learn more is to teach. Set up a class at work where you're going to do a 15-20 minute lunch & learn. You can have a single topic or just two topics each day where you're going to share a little of what you're working on with your co-workers. They can also bring stuff to the table.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

Jason A. Long SSC-Insane Points: 23786 More actions · Answer 4

To reiterate what Phil & Grant said... Answering questions here on this forum...

I can't speak for anyone else but I've learned an incredible amount here on this forum... Answering other peoples questions in a forum setting, allows you to focus on a single puzzle like problem (that doesn't happen to be your problem). More importantly, your answers will be joined by and compared to other peoples answers... Yes it can be a little disheartening when your solution gets blown out of the water by another solution but that's opportunity not only to learn, but learn what works the best. Some of the best T-SQL writers I ever encountered are regular posters on this forum and putting my solutions up against theirs has forced me to step up my game.

Just my 2 cents...

ScottPletcher SSC Guru Points: 101115 More actions · Answer 5

Talib123 (9/27/2016)
I'm a production DBA
... how do I get my T-sql skills to a developer\Report writer level.

So you want to go from DBA-level SQL to developer-level SQL:

Destroy half your brain :-D:-P. That's a JOKE people!

SQL DBA,SQL Server MVP(07, 08, 09) "It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing Milk-Bone underwear." "Norm", on "Cheers". Also from "Cheers", from "Carla": "You need to know 3 things about Tortelli men: Tortelli men draw women like flies; Tortelli men treat women like flies; Tortelli men's brains are in their flies".

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 6

ScottPletcher (9/27/2016)
Talib123 (9/27/2016)
I'm a production DBA
... how do I get my T-sql skills to a developer\Report writer level.
So you want to go from DBA-level SQL to developer-level SQL:
Destroy half your brain :-D:-P. That's a JOKE people!

"crickets"

Hmm, may want to try again.

ScottPletcher SSC Guru Points: 101115 More actions · Answer 7

Lynn Pettis (9/27/2016)
ScottPletcher (9/27/2016)
Talib123 (9/27/2016)
I'm a production DBA
... how do I get my T-sql skills to a developer\Report writer level.
So you want to go from DBA-level SQL to developer-level SQL:
Destroy half your brain :-D:-P. That's a JOKE people!
"crickets"
Hmm, may want to try again.

I should have put a q mark: So you want to go from DBA-level SQL to developer-level SQL?

But, at any rate, I'm a DBA; I write SQL. To drop my SQL skill level down to a developer's level, I would have to destroy half my brain.

SQL DBA,SQL Server MVP(07, 08, 09) "It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing Milk-Bone underwear." "Norm", on "Cheers". Also from "Cheers", from "Carla": "You need to know 3 things about Tortelli men: Tortelli men draw women like flies; Tortelli men treat women like flies; Tortelli men's brains are in their flies".

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 8

ScottPletcher (9/27/2016)
Lynn Pettis (9/27/2016)
ScottPletcher (9/27/2016)
Talib123 (9/27/2016)
I'm a production DBA
... how do I get my T-sql skills to a developer\Report writer level.
So you want to go from DBA-level SQL to developer-level SQL:
Destroy half your brain :-D:-P. That's a JOKE people!
"crickets"
Hmm, may want to try again.
I should have put a q mark: So you want to go from DBA-level SQL to developer-level SQL?
But, at any rate, I'm a DBA; I write SQL. To drop my SQL skill level down to a developer's level, I would have to destroy half my brain.

I do both. And anyone who develops SQL should work harder to improve their skills, whether a developer or administrator.

Eric M Russell SSC Guru Points: 125562 More actions · Answer 9

Talib123 (9/27/2016)
Hi All,
I'm a production DBA and have been for a good while.
I can query, join filters but how do I get my T-sql skills to a developer\Report writer level.
Books don't do it for me, links to useful youtube sights will be most usefull.
Are an MVP to follow. I have been putting this off for years now.
Thanks

The vast majority of good T-SQL learning material will be in the from reading (books, blogs, and forums) and also practicing. However, since you're specifically asking for good video related material, I'd say search YouTube for:

T-SQL AND ("Kevin Kline" OR "Itzik Ben-Gan" OR "Grant Fritchey" OR "Adam Mechanic" OR "Brent Ozar")

"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho

pietlinden SSC Guru Points: 63506 More actions · Answer 10

You mean destroy the RBAR side, the side that's good at writing cursors and such?

Phil Parkin SSC Guru Points: 246971 More actions · Answer 11

Lynn Pettis (9/27/2016)
ScottPletcher (9/27/2016)
Lynn Pettis (9/27/2016)
ScottPletcher (9/27/2016)
Talib123 (9/27/2016)
I'm a production DBA
... how do I get my T-sql skills to a developer\Report writer level.
So you want to go from DBA-level SQL to developer-level SQL:
Destroy half your brain :-D:-P. That's a JOKE people!
"crickets"
Hmm, may want to try again.
I should have put a q mark: So you want to go from DBA-level SQL to developer-level SQL?
But, at any rate, I'm a DBA; I write SQL. To drop my SQL skill level down to a developer's level, I would have to destroy half my brain.
I do both. And anyone who develops SQL should work harder to improve their skills, whether a developer or administrator.

Harder than what? Harder than they are already doing? What if they are already working hard to improve their skills? I think your comment needs a WHERE clause 🙂

The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Martin Rees

You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.
Stan Laurel

Alan Burstein SSC Guru Points: 61141 More actions · Answer 12

A lot of good advice here, especially

The best way to get better at writing T-SQL is to write a lot of T-SQL.

Over the years I have created dozens of little "one-off" personal databases. A homework db, a goals db, a DB to organize my comic book collection, etc. More recently I have been doing more SQL puzzles such as this. Answering forum questions has been very helpful too even when your answer is wrong or much less efficient.

"I cant stress enough the importance of switching from a sequential files mindset to set-based thinking. After you make the switch, you can spend your time tuning and optimizing your queries instead of maintaining lengthy, poor-performing code."

-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398898 More actions · Answer 13

Eric M Russell (9/27/2016)
Talib123 (9/27/2016)
Hi All,
I'm a production DBA and have been for a good while.
I can query, join filters but how do I get my T-sql skills to a developer\Report writer level.
Books don't do it for me, links to useful youtube sights will be most usefull.
Are an MVP to follow. I have been putting this off for years now.
Thanks
The vast majority of good T-SQL learning material will be in the from reading (books, blogs, and forums) and also practicing. However, since you're specifically asking for good video related material, I'd say search YouTube for:
T-SQL AND ("Kevin Kline" OR "Itzik Ben-Gan" OR "Grant Fritchey" OR "Adam Mechanic" OR "Brent Ozar")

ooh, not me. I don't write T-SQL like those other people. I teach mechanisms & processes and some internals. That hard core coding stuff, I leave that to the smart people.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

RonKyle SSC-Dedicated Points: 31557 More actions · Answer 14

I can query, join filters but how do I get my T-sql skills to a developer\Report writer level.

Solve the actual problems in your company. In a few years, if you're still learning, you'll learn how you could have written them better. But as long as it works and produces the correct data in an acceptable time frame, you'll be learning. Reading is a good place to start, but doing is the essence of learning for most adults.