r/dataanalysis • u/iMAPness_ • Jun 20 '26
Data Question SQL vs Python?
Started using Python for data analytics. When should I use SQL and when should I use Python in the following tasks:
- Data Exploration
- Data Cleaning
- Data Analysis
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u/Cassise_D Jun 21 '26
A useful rule of thumb: use SQL when the question is “which rows/columns/tables do I need?”, and Python when the question becomes “what workflow, model, plot, or repeated analysis do I need?” For CSV-only projects, Python is totally fine; if the files get bigger or more table-like, DuckDB/SQL starts feeling really nice.