8 Apr 2020 Ignacio L. Bisso SQL Window Functions vs. GROUP BY: What’s the Difference? A very common misconception among SQL users is that there is not much difference between SQL window functions and aggregate functions or the GROUP BY clause. However, the differences are very significant. Perhaps the only similar point between GROUP BY and window functions is that both allow you to execute a function (such as AVG, MAX, MIN, or COUNT) on a group of records. I’d say that window functions’ special power is that they allow us to obtain results that otherwise would be almost impossible to achieve. Read more 6 Feb 2020 Ignacio L. Bisso HAVING vs. WHERE in SQL: What You Should Know This article is about SQL’s WHERE and HAVING clauses. Both clauses are part of the foundations of the SQL SELECT command. They have similar uses, but there are also important differences that every person who uses SQL should know. Let’s see what’s behind the HAVING vs. WHERE debate. In this article, we’ll suppose we work for a government social agency supporting people or families whose income is below a certain threshold. Read more 8 Oct 2019 Ignacio L. Bisso SQL Order of Operations SQL is not a traditional programming language in which you write a sequence of instructions in a given order of execution. Instead, SQL is a "declarative" language, which means that by writing a SQL query, you declare what data you expect as a result of the query, but you don't indicate how to obtain it. Six Operations to Order: SELECT, FROM, WHERE, GROUP BY, HAVING, and ORDER BY By using examples, we will explain the execution order of the six most common operations or pieces in an SQL query. Read more 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? Read more 7 Feb 2019 Ignacio L. Bisso A Non-Technical Introduction to Learning 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. Read more 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: Read more 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. Read more 8 Jun 2018 Ignacio L. Bisso Improving Slow Query Performance: When Runtime Matters As SQL users, we usually focus on writing queries that return correct results. However, there are more things to consider when you're writing a query; one of them is query performance. In this article, we'll look at some examples where query response time is critical. Scene One: 911 Call Center Let's suppose we're at a 911 call center, when the phone rings. One of the operators answers the call; a witness reports that a man has been shot. Read more 8 May 2018 Ignacio L. Bisso Converting Subqueries to Joins Not all queries are alike, especially in terms of performance. In this article, we'll look at how you can convert SQL subqueries to joins for improved efficiency. When should I use SQL subqueries? Great question! Unfortunately, there's no concrete answer. SQL beginners tend to overuse subqueries. Typically, once they find that SQL construction works in one situation, they try to apply that same approach to other situations. It's only natural. Read more 13 Apr 2018 Ignacio L. Bisso SQL Interview: Tips From Recruiter and Sample Questions with Solutions Applying for an SQL-related position? You'll likely have to pass an interview process. But you'll be much better prepared for the interview if you know what to expect. This article sheds some light on the recruiter's perspective to better prepare you for your interview. SQL Knowledge and Skills There are different SQL skills that an interview can test. These include: Skills related to any specific SQL database engine (like PostgreSQL, MySQL, or Oracle). Read more «« « 1 2 3 4 5 » »»