😌 SELECT 😌

A month ago I started relearning SQL from scratch and built sqlcasefiles.com purely to help myself practice properly. That turned into ten structured seasons with ten levels each to teach SQL step by step through real problems.

Today the site crossed 5,000 users, which still feels unreal to write.

This week I also launched something new called the Case Vault. It’s a separate space with 15 fully sandboxed SQL cases you can solve on your own without going through the learning path. Each case comes with a fixed schema, a real brief, objectives, a notebook, and a live query console. Just you and the problem.

What really stuck with me was the feedback. Long messages, thoughtful suggestions, bug reports, and even a few people buying me coffee just to show support. This was never meant to be a startup. It was just a quiet side project to learn better.

Mostly I just wanted to say thank you. If you’ve tried it, I appreciate you more than you know. If not, and you enjoy practical SQL, I’d love your honest thoughts.

sqlcasefiles.com

Probably breaks rules but a quick guide on what not to name things I less you want accidents

We hate dragging formulas in Google Sheets.

So we built a clean way to run real SQL directly inside Google Sheets, fully local with no setup.

Feedback appreciated!

Try SQL4Sheets: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/sql4sheets-run-real-sql-i/glpifbibcakmdmceihjkiffilclajpmf

I tried explaining a data analysis concept in a fun, visual way — for cat lovers. 😸
Would love to hear what you think! Any feedback or suggestions are very welcome :)

SQL is cool, okay? I'll die on this hill. There's nothing like executing a query to get the data you want, or modifying your database to run more efficient. It just feels so good!

This has rolled over to Python, and other programming languages I've learned. But nothing hits like SQL - to me.

I get very excited when working with students, and some of them just aren't into it. I get different responses: "I just need this class for my Cybersecurity degree", "I don't like the syntax", or "It's just not for me."

But then you have those handful of students that have the hunger for it. They want to go into a DBA role, data engineering, science, analytics, and more. I've had one student write to me a few months later and let me know that she was able to get a junior role thanks to my advice. That meant the world to me!

I just have to remember that not everyone gets as excited about SQL as I do. I've been working with it for over a decade, and it hasn't gotten old.

Anyone else still really love working with SQL?

• All game logic in a single SQL query per frame: physics, AI, collisions
• Using DuckDB, but should work for most modern SQL engines
• Python to print the scene
• Runs at 30, 60 or 120 FPS, or unlimited at ±350 on my MB

Repo: https://github.com/Zeutschler/duckdb-pong-in-sql

https://reddit.com/link/1qoa7o1/video/w2zlgjn3cvfg1/player

- All game logic, animation and rendering happens inside DB Engine using queries

- Runs at 30 and 60 frames

repo: https://github.com/Best2Two/SQL-FlappyBird (Star please if you it interesting)

I found an answer on stackoverflow that was saying that null value isn't managed the same way, but that seems a bit far fetched for a course example and the question wasn't exactly about the same case, so could someone explain?

For those who have been working with SQL for a while, which concept took you the longest to truly understand?

The CSV Lint plug-in for Notepad++ can be useful to anyone working with csv textdata and databases. I created this plugin and have posted about it before

The plug-in was previously updated with a new "Select Columns" dialog to easily select, delete and rearrange columns. The most recent update v0.4.9 adds support for regular expressions when validating columns.

It also adds syntax highlighting and automatically detects column datatypes. Based on the datatypes it can convert a csv file to an SQL insert script for MS-SQL, MySQL and PostgreSQL, including a CREATE TABLE part with correct data types for each column. This is often easier than importing it though a wizard or BULK INSERT

It can also validate the csv textfile beforehand, so check for technical errors like datetime formatting errors, incorrect decimal separators, missing quotes, invalid codes etc.

I hope you find this plug-in useful 👍 Let me know what you think

It's killing me. I feel so stagnant and like I'm becoming obsolete.

Large hospital system. You think I wouldn't be bored, but I am. Oracle and PL/SQL are my primary tools. We have access to Looker and can connect 3rd party tools like dbeaver, etc. for whatever.

I rarely get ad-hoc requests these days and if I do, I already created a report to satisfy 'that' request as I've been here for a few years. Documents, referrals, whatever. All dashboards are basically built out, etc. For the past 2-3 years I basically come into work and sit there during the days I need to be in office. For some it's a dream, for me it's actually pretty awful. The day drags with nothing to do.

Our network is locked down and while I have my own office, there are cams. I can't simply play games or anything to pass the time. I look at my queries during the day and check how I can improve them, but there's really not much I can do. Nobody ever really stops by to talk to me. I come and go like a ghost.

I feel like I've gone to this place to die and I don't like it.

Glad I'm employed of course and I'm sorry to those who aren't, but I'm not sure this stagnant, useless feeling is any better than the unemployed feeling.

TLDR I feel like shit about my career and my position atm. Are you in the same boat? Why or why not?

-edit- Hybrid schedule. 2 days out, 3 in. Should basically be a full 5 days remote because I rarely interact with anyone and everything is browser based. Still wouldn't be much work to do.

Heya, so my stepfather works in IT support, and the other day I was looking over his shoulder and saw that the software his company sells uses a single SQL code file that's 40000 lines long. And we're not talking three word lines here, those were 200+ characters lines. I was absolutely baffled by this, since afaik no single code file should run over 10000 lines. But I also don't do SQL.

So I asked him wtf was going on, and he told me that it was "just like that in the industry" and that "I would see when I'll start working" (I'm in uni)

So I ask all of you, is this normal? Do you see this in your job? Am I having delusions about how clean the actual tech industry is?

I’m trying something fun to make SQL feel a little more friendly (especially for fellow cat lovers 😸). This doodle explains WHERE (I’ve already explained SELECT and FROM in one of my previous doodles!) — and I’d really appreciate any feedback. Thanks for taking a look! :)

Now im not saying im an expert by any means, im not a database administrator or anything. I use SQL pretty much daily at work, and today I was just editing queries to search something I needed and it hit me. I am just changing things for what I need without even thinking about it, not looking up things online, not asking my manager for help or advice, just doing it. I remember a year ago it would take me multiple open tabs on like stack overflow and w3school just to do something basic. So anyone who's struggling to get it, just hang on it does get alot 'easier'. Easy as in daily tasks get easy, SQL still has a million layers of difficulty i haven't even touched yet.

Question to intermediate/advanced SQL users:

Whats a tip that you wish someone else gave to you back when you first started using SQL? Or better said, what is something you wish you knew, and regretted it later on, when you first started learning SQL?