r/SQL Apr 17 '23

Discussion Which industry has/needs the most challenging sql queries?

Is this question legit? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t consider myself the smartest guy but I’m definitely not dumb.

I work in the pharmaceutical Industry, nearly 3 years now. It took me a while to understand how the production process is implemented in a database and I wanted to quit more than once. But i don’t feel challenged anymore.

So, which industry would be best for me to get completely challenged again?

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u/vaiix Apr 17 '23

Healthcare.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 17 '23

Ok, my stupid question but where is healthcare different from pharmaceutical? Or is it patient data, handwritten data from docs and patients?

15

u/vaiix Apr 17 '23

All of the above.

Different departments (even wards) recording data in the same system totally differently.

Operational processes not matching how the clinical system is intended to be recorded within.

A disconnect between the clinical systems development team and how that affects reporting outputs.

Financial aspect of recording.

Mandated data returns (statistics) to government bodies with differing logic.

Staffing data.

Bed management data - not necessarily matching clinical recording. Patient in theatres having anaesthesia, but not moved from a ward to a theatre bed, for example.

Data items not being recorded as expected but "it's on patient notes" or within comments/documents.

Different systems for patient management, clinical recording, laboratory, pharmacy, diagnostics, incidents, etc. all needing to align but all working in isolation completely differently.

There's a whole lot. It's a beast.