We’re one step away from writing our first SQL query and diving into Bindle’s story! Before we start let’s go through the basic SQL vocabulary.
The data in a SQL database is stored in a collection of tables.
Each table is basically a spreadsheet with columns and rows. Each column in a SQL table has its own name, for example, id, first_name, signup_date, country, etc. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen id column in Google Spreadsheets, but the difference with SQL tables is that columns in a SQL table could have any name or value. Some tables don’t have id column with a number. For example, we might have countries table with columns name and code. We’ll see all sorts of tables throughout the course
Inside one SQL table, we can store completely different types of data – numbers, text, coordinates, IP addresses, names, even images. Tables in SQL don’t have a specific type, but columns do . Within each column, values could be either empty (known as
NULL
values) or belong to a certain type, like only numbers (integers or float) or only text.
Here’s a list of the most popular data types:
NULL
is a special value that means there is no actual valueNULL
, TRUE
or FALSE
. For example, is_customer could be such a column)2019-08-05
)2019-08-05 10:08:15 +0200
)Later in the course, we’ll learn how to work with each type and learn more types of course. For now, let’s just remember that columns have types and these types determine what kind of values are expected to be stored there.
We’re ready to start the course. LET’S GOOOO
Hi, it’s Anatoli, the author of SQL Habit.
SQL Habit is a course (or, as some of the students say, “business simulator”). It’s based on a story of a fictional startup called Bindle. You’ll play a role of their Data Analyst and solve real-life challenges from Business, Marketing, and Product Management.
SQL Habit course is made of bite-sized lessons (you’re looking at one atm) and exercises. They always have a real-life setting and detailed explanations. You can immediately apply everything you’ve learned at work.