SQL: Introduction for Beginners (3 day)

Course Overview

SQL forms the cornerstone of all relational database operations. The ability to write the SQL language is essential for those who develop database applications. This course provides a solid foundation of the SQL programming language that enables you to build, query and manipulate databases. Working in Oracle 10 gor SQL Server throughout this course, you compare the ANSI/ISO standard with the SQL implementations of these two common database products.

Audience

This course is valuable for anyone who needs to learn SQL programming. An understanding of relational database and basic programming concepts is helpful.

Skills Gained

• Write SQL code based on ANSI/ISO standards to build and maintain database structures
• Update database content with SQL and transaction handling
• Retrieve data from single or multiple tables
• Process data with row and aggregate functions
• Manipulate data with correlated and non-correlated subqueries
• Apply views to break down problems and enhance security

Course Outline

SQL Overview

• Outlining the importance of SQL as the cornerstone of all database activity
• Applying the ANSI/ISO standards
• Describing the fundamental building blocks: tables, columns, primary keys and foreign keys
• Defining terminology

Building the Database Schema

Creating tables and columns

• Comparing data types across platforms
• Building tables with CREATE TABLE
• Modifying table structure with ALTER TABLE
• Adding columns to an existing table
• Increasing column size
• Removing tables with DROP TABLE

Protecting data integrity with constraints

• Defining constraint types
• Guaranteeing uniqueness with primary key constraints
• Enforcing referential integrity with foreign key constraints
• Imposing business rules with check constraints
• Enabling and disabling constraints
• Removing constraints with ALTER TABLE

Improving performance with indexes

• Expediting data retrieval with indexes
• Recommending guidelines for index creation

Manipulating Data

Modifying table contents

• Adding table rows with INSERT
• Changing row content with UPDATE
• Removing rows with DELETE

Applying transactions

• Atomic Consistent Isolated Durable (ACID) rules
• Controlling transactions with COMMIT and ROLLBACK

Writing Single Table Queries

• Retrieving data with SELECT
• Including columns and expressions in query results
• Restricting rows with the WHERE filter
• Sorting the result with ORDER BY
• Handling NULL values in expressions
• Avoiding NULL value pitfalls in filter conditions

Querying Multiple Tables

Applying the ANSI/ISO standard join syntax

• Matching related rows with INNER JOIN
• Including non-matched rows with OUTER JOIN
• Creating a Cartesian product with CROSS JOIN
• Joining a table to itself

Combining results with set operators

• Stacking results with UNION
• Identifying matching rows with INTERSECT
• Utilising EXCEPT to find non-matching rows

Employing Functions in Data Retrieval

Processing data with row functions

• Solving mathematical problems with functions
• Manipulating text strings
• Converting date/time presentation
• Conditional formatting with the CASE expression
• Utilising the CASE expression to simulate IF tests
• Dealing with NULL values

Performing analysis with aggregate functions

• Summarising data using SUM, AVG and COUNT
• Finding the highest and lowest values with MAX and MIN
• Defining the summary level with GROUP BY
• Applying filter conditions with HAVING

Constructing Nested Queries

Applying subqueries in filter conditions

• Correlated vs. non-correlated subqueries
• Embedding subqueries in several levels
• Testing the existence of rows
• Single row vs. multi-row subqueries

Including subqueries in expressions

• Placing subqueries in the column list
• Creating complex expressions containing subqueries
• Handling subqueries that return no rows

Developing In-Line and Stored Views

Breaking down complex problems

• Selecting data from a query result set
• Subqueries in the FROM clause

Creating views in a database

• Building reusable code
• Refining user access privileges

Follow Up Courses

• 234 Developing SQL Queries for Oracle Databases
• 534 SQL Queries for SQL Server
• 593 Oracle Database 10 gComprehensive Introduction
• 131 SQL Server 2005 Comprehensive Introduction
• 133 SQL Server 2005 Server-Side Programming
• 493 Oracle PL/SQL Programming
• 492 Oracle Databases: Application Development & Tuning

SQL: Introduction for Beginners (3 day) / SQL-IN3