Articles Cookbook
30 Apr 2019
Ignacio L. Bisso

SQL INNER JOIN Explained in Simple Words

In this article, I will cover perhaps the most important element of the SQL language. That's right! I'm talking about the SQL INNER JOIN clause. As you know, in a database the data are stored in several tables. In my last article, I covered how to create SQL queries when the data you need is in only one table. But what if the data you need is in two tables?
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19 Mar 2019
Dorota Wdzięczna

14 Differences Between Standard SQL and Transact-SQL

In my last article, I roughly described how standard SQL differs from T-SQL and who should learn which. Now I'd like to focus on the syntax differences and illustrate these differences with examples. If you think T-SQL is an extension implementing all the features from standard SQL, you aren't right. However, in SQL Server you will find almost all the features of the SQL standard. In this article you will find examples of some of the differences in syntax between standard SQL and Transact-SQL.
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20 Feb 2019
Michał Kołodziejski

Get to Know the Power of SQL Recursive Queries

Most commonly, the SQL queries we run on a database are quite simple. Well, that depends on your role, of course. Analysts in data warehouses retrieve completely different sorts of information using (very often) much more complicated queries than software engineers creating CRUD applications. However, sometimes it's simpler or more elegant to run a query that is a little bit more sophisticated without needing further data processing in the code.
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19 Feb 2019
Dorota Wdzięczna

What's the Difference Between SQL and T-SQL?

If you are beginning to learn SQL and are confused by the differences between standard SQL and other similar languages like T-SQL, this article will help make things clear. You’ll not only learn about the difference between SQL and T-SQL but also find explanations concerning which topics would be better to start learning first: standard SQL or something more specific like MS SQL Server. What is Standard SQL? SQL (Structured Query Language) is a basic ANSI/ISO standard programming language designed to operate on data stored in relational databases.
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7 Feb 2019
Ignacio L. Bisso

Learn SQL on Your Lunch Break

Do you think learning SQL will help you in your career? You are right. SQL is one of the easiest computer languages to learn. These days many non-IT employees have SQL skills and use them to extend their professional capacity. Moreover, more and more companies are encouraging their employees in non-IT areas (like sales, advertising, and finances) to learn and use SQL. One of the benefits of empowering employees with SQL skills is that once you answer one data question, the results will generate a new data question, and then perhaps a cascade of further data questions.
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17 Jan 2019
Roman Pijacek

Microsoft SQL Server Pros and Cons

Thinking about using Microsoft SQL Server? If so, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll go over the pros and cons of Microsoft SQL Server and evaluate the platform from both a company’s and a data specialist’s perspective. What Is Microsoft SQL Server? Before diving into the pros and cons of Microsoft SQL Server, I’ll explain what it is. In technical terms, it is a relational database management system (RDBMS) developed by Microsoft.
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4 Dec 2018
LearnSQL.com Team

Practical Ways to Improve the Performance of SQL Queries

Knowing how to improve SQL query performance is an important skill, especially when working with with large databases. In this article, you'll learn how to write more efficient SQL queries to get results faster. The biggest difference between SQL and other languages is that SQL is a non-procedural language. In a non-procedural language you specify the results that you need but not the methods used to get it. The advantage of a non-procedural language is that it is easier to write programs, therefore it is common for non-programmer business users to generate reports from SQL queries.
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15 Nov 2018
Ignacio L. Bisso

How to Install PostgreSQL on Windows 10 in 5 Minutes

It may look like a complicated task to install PostgreSQL, Oracle, or SQL Server or any other database software, but it really isn’t! These days, most relational database management systems come with installation wizards that make the process much simpler. In this article, we’ll look at how to install PostgreSQL and test that the installation is working. Install PostgreSQL: Steps Involved To install PostgreSQL, we’ll complete the following tasks:
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8 Oct 2018
Dorota Wdzięczna

Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Installation Step by Step

Microsoft SQL Server is one of the most popular professional database servers on the market. In this guide, I’ll show you all SQL Server 2017 installation steps to help you install it on the Windows operating system together with SQL Management Studio. If you want to learn T-SQL, the dialect of SQL used in SQL Server, check out our SQL from A to Z in MS SQL Server track.
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27 Sep 2018
Ignacio L. Bisso

How to Begin Running SQL Queries

In this article, I’ll explain how to run a SQL query to help you execute your first one. Let’s jump right in! Running SQL queries for the first time is not a complex task, but it can seem intimidating at first if you’re a complete beginner. But once you get past that initial roadblock, you’ll be able to focus on learning SQL and writing more interesting queries to meet your business needs.
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