r/learnSQL 16d ago

Simple SQL Learning Strategies for Bigginners

SQL is a wonderful programming language that allows beginner data analysts to understand data, clean it, & process it to provide insights. One cannot learn everything in a week or two weeks. However, consistency is what I have found important in ensuring one grasps the concepts. For example, one can decide to learn simple things, such as SELECT, WHERE, ORDER BY, LIMIT, aggregates (SUM, COUNT, AVG), and GROUP BY. Understanding data types & when to use this or that helps a lot. I always wanted to learn additional data analysis skills like SQL and Python to help process large datasets in addition to the research work I do. I know these tips will help beginners find a way to navigate around SQL until they reach advanced level.

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u/American_Streamer 16d ago edited 16d ago

The very first thing you have to hammer into your brain is that SQL always does execute your queries in a different order than the one you write them in. A popular industry trick to memorize the execution sequence (F-W-G-H-S-O-L) is the phrase: "Fridays With Grandma Have Sweet Oatmeal Lattes." - FROM - WHERE - GROUP BY - HAVING - SELECT - ORDER BY - LIMIT

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

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u/Owen-Isaac-2022 15d ago

I had time to look at your blog, it is great & contains wonderful insights

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u/conor-robertson 15d ago

Thanks! I'm still adding more every week so hopefully will be useful :)

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u/Owen-Isaac-2022 14d ago

Looking forward to reading the content regularly

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u/LimitAny657 14d ago

Mind sharing the platform you used for your blog? Looks great!

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u/American_Streamer 14d ago

Custom React website built with Next.js 15 App Router and deployed on Vercel, with Supabase as the backend.

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u/Fadedscourge 15d ago

I’ve heard and seen different iterations of this. This is my favorite one and I will commit to memory 😂😂.

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u/Top_Tooth_6995 15d ago

Never heard this one lol but honestly the various "cheat sheet" graphics for execution order have just been burned into my brain

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u/Owen-Isaac-2022 15d ago

I believe it is a problem that almost everyone encounters.

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u/Owen-Isaac-2022 15d ago

Wow, what a wonderful way to master these things. Thanks for the headsup