SQL commands to learn

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SQL commands to learn

vxhughes

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June 4, 2013 at 7:44 pm

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Can anybody recommend a good online guide to SQL commands? Or at least a list of the ones I should learn first?

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Ramji Sridharan SSC Enthusiast Points: 187 More actions · Answer 1

http://beginner-sql-tutorial.com/sql-commands.htm

http://www.w3schools.com/

SQLSACT SSC-Insane Points: 21838 More actions · Answer 2

vxhughes (6/4/2013)
Can anybody recommend a good online guide to SQL commands? Or at least a list of the ones I should learn first?

Have a look at Itzik Ben-Gan's T-SQL fundamentals books. It's worth the investment to get it..

hvermaak Say Hey Kid Points: 672 More actions · Answer 3

vxhughes (6/4/2013)
Can anybody recommend a good online guide to SQL commands? Or at least a list of the ones I should learn first?

It all depends on what you want to do. Administration or development. I use more system related commands in my queries whereas a devloper would find it a toatl waste of time.

bgraham 64271 SSC Rookie Points: 29 More actions · Answer 4

SQLSACT (6/5/2013)
vxhughes (6/4/2013)
Can anybody recommend a good online guide to SQL commands? Or at least a list of the ones I should learn first?
Have a look at Itzik Ben-Gan's T-SQL fundamentals books. It's worth the investment to get it..

I would second this! I purchased this book while i'm still learning SQL myself. This book has helped me so much and its also a good idea to pickup MSSQL Developer Edition to work along side with.

OTF SSCertifiable Points: 6104 More actions · Answer 5

bgraham 64271 (6/5/2013)
SQLSACT (6/5/2013)
vxhughes (6/4/2013)
Can anybody recommend a good online guide to SQL commands? Or at least a list of the ones I should learn first?
Have a look at Itzik Ben-Gan's T-SQL fundamentals books. It's worth the investment to get it..
I would second this! I purchased this book while i'm still learning SQL myself. This book has helped me so much and its also a good idea to pickup MSSQL Developer Edition to work along side with.

I'll chime in here as well and say yep, you want that book.

Alan Burstein SSC Guru Points: 61141 More actions · Answer 6

OTF (6/6/2013)
bgraham 64271 (6/5/2013)
SQLSACT (6/5/2013)
vxhughes (6/4/2013)
Can anybody recommend a good online guide to SQL commands? Or at least a list of the ones I should learn first?
Have a look at Itzik Ben-Gan's T-SQL fundamentals books. It's worth the investment to get it..
I would second this! I purchased this book while i'm still learning SQL myself. This book has helped me so much and its also a good idea to pickup MSSQL Developer Edition to work along side with.
I'll chime in here as well and say yep, you want that book.

I will fourth this; Ben-Gan is excellent. W3Schools (as already mentioned) is your best bet for a super-basic SQL "101" tutorial. http://w3schools.com/sql/default.asp. I would check this out first if you are new to SQL.

"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

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736212 More actions · Answer 7

We have a Stairway Series here, designed to help you get started as well: http://www.sqlservercentral.com/stairway/75773/

Ed Wagner SSC Guru Points: 287026 More actions · Answer 8

While I haven't gone through the stairway on SQL DML, I found the one on indexing and the one on transaction log management to be quite good. If those are any indication of quality, I'd start with the SQL DML stairway.

The w3schools.com site is a good beginner's guide, but the stairway series take you through things in a logical, ordered progression instead of just presenting information on how to do things. They contain context, which is important when first starting to learn any topic.

I'd then graduate to Ben-Gan's book.

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vxhughes SSCommitted Points: 1627 More actions · Answer 9

Thanks to all for their recommendations.

I've already started on

http://beginner-sql-tutorial.com/sql-commands.htm

and

http://www.w3schools.com/sql/sql_intro.asp

and I've bookmarked "Stairway to T-SQL DML" at

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/stairway/75773

A couple of quick questions:

• Which of Itzik Ben-Gan's T-SQL fundamentals books do I want for working with SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services? What's the exact title?

• What exactly is the relationship of T-SQL to SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services?

Thanks again.

Ed Wagner SSC Guru Points: 287026 More actions · Answer 10

T-SQL is Microsoft's procedural language to control SQL Server.

By way of comparison, PL/SQL is Oracle's procedural language to control Oracle.

They're not interchangeable.

You use both do do DDL, DML and administration. They also contain decision structures, looping constructs and other programming constructs. Both have ANSI SQL as the base, the they've extended it to do a lot more stuff specific to their platform. Under the hood, they're very different, but that's down the road a ways.

Tally Tables - Performance Personified
String Splitting with True Performance
Best practices on how to ask questions

Alan Burstein SSC Guru Points: 61141 More actions · Answer 11

vxhughes (6/6/2013)
Thanks to all for their recommendations.
I've already started on
http://beginner-sql-tutorial.com/sql-commands.htm
and
http://www.w3schools.com/sql/sql_intro.asp
and I've bookmarked "Stairway to T-SQL DML" at
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/stairway/75773
A couple of quick questions:
• Which of Itzik Ben-Gan's T-SQL fundamentals books do I want for working with SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services? What's the exact title?
• What exactly is the relationship of T-SQL to SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services?
Thanks again.

Regarding the Stairways, also look at Stairway to Data and Stairway to SQL Dialects.

Regarding Ben-Gan, look at: Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals. Alternatively, you could look at Microsoft SQL Server 2012 T-SQL Fundamentals. It is for SQL 2012 thoroughly covers 2008.

Regarding your last question:

This, too, confused the heck out of me when I started working with Microsoft Database products... In short, "SQL Server 2008" is Microsoft Software; here "SQL" is just marketing - they could have named it "Microsoft Database Server 2008". SQL Server Express and Advanced are versions of Microsoft SQL Server (other editions include Enterprise, Developer, Web...)

SQL is a programming language. T-SQL is a "flavor" (aka proprietary extension or dialect) of SQL that is used for querying Microsoft SQL Server (and Sybase) Databases. There are other flavors such as PL/SQL (Oracle). There is a stairway for SQL Dialects; I have not really read it but all of Celko's Stairways are excellent IMHO.

Edit: accidently hit post instead of preview. :angry:

"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

vxhughes SSCommitted Points: 1627 More actions · Answer 12

I take it that would be "Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals" by Itzik Ben-Gan, correct?

vxhughes SSCommitted Points: 1627 More actions · Answer 13

Disregard my last post, Alan.B - I made it before I saw your reply.

Thanks to everyone!

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004339 More actions · Answer 14

Ed Wagner (6/6/2013)
T-SQL is Microsoft's procedural language to control SQL Server.
By way of comparison, PL/SQL is Oracle's procedural language to control Oracle.
They're not interchangeable.
You use both do do DDL, DML and administration. They also contain decision structures, looping constructs and other programming constructs. Both have ANSI SQL as the base, the they've extended it to do a lot more stuff specific to their platform. Under the hood, they're very different, but that's down the road a ways.

If by "procedural" you mean "stored procedure", I agree. But, just to be sure, "procedural" in reference to SQL normally means some form of RBAR. Technically speaking, T-SQL is a "Declarative" language.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

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