PCFormat Forum Archive

Well, i'm writing SQL on the 12th and i haven't started studying. Do you guys think it's possible?

yes

it depends if you are a logical person you will understand the concepts and get used to the commands, if not (like me) you will struggle, I hate SQL mainly because I am not a logical person .

Good Luck with your exam and I hope you can pass.

DAE_JA_VOO wrote:Well, i'm writing SQL on the 24th and i haven't started studying. Do you guys think it's possible?

Lol, this was kind of random
Yeah, if you have the right material to study, then it will be easy...

But the big question is though... Do you think it is possible for me to study calculus and numerical methods before tomorrow 2pm

Cool, as long as the replies aren't all like "LOL!! You IDIOT!! You can't do it in so little time! HAHAHAHA!!!".

Anyone got any suggestions for easy ways to learn it? I've got a one hell of a book (MS book), but maybe you guys know of a better resource?

I have no idea what your course content is like, but most of SQL is successfully executing SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE statements. Know how to do those correctly and you've got most of those covered.

Of course, there are more advanced topics such as cursors, indexes and (one of my favourites) data replication between two servers. If your course covers them, you should certainly learn them.

When I was learning SQL myself, I found that the best way was actually through practical application. Get hold of SQL 2005 Express Edition, it's a free download as far as I know. It has limitations that make it unsuitable for production purposes, but for someone learning (like you), it's perfect. Play around with various SQL statements - learn what works, and what doesn't. I'm not saying don't study the theory, but learning the theory alone is insufficient - you actually have to play around with it.

Hope this helps.

Cool, thanks Ron

Oh, and if you have any questions, ask them - I deal with SQL nearly every day of my life (a lot of my code interacts with databases in some way), so if I'm not too busy I'll try to help you out.

Ron2K wrote:Oh, and if you have any questions, ask them - I deal with SQL nearly every day of my life (a lot of my code interacts with databases in some way), so if I'm not too busy I'll try to help you out.

Great stuff Thanks man

I think i'm actually gonna start studying now... i've got nothing better to do...

Another thing you can play around with is the Northwind sample DB (part of MS
Access)
If you can look at the form designs and tables in there you should be able to form a "picture" of what the structure and layout of SQl tables and interaction is.
I have not studied any SQL , and I deal with the bare basics daily - all in good time though ! - you my friend have not the luxury I have.. time that is...
Study hard and prove to us "You can if you put your mind and time into it"

Cheers

LOL!! You IDIOT!! You can't do it in so little time! HAHAHAHA!!!


Just kidding...
It really depends on what you mean by "I'm writing SQL2005..."
Do you mean Microsoft SQL Server 2005?

Then there are a lot of server admin stuff that you do along with the basic SQL Language. But since you've done windows admin and such stuff, the concepts shouldn't be that hard to master.
You'll probably do SQL Security, Data Replication, DTS, etc. etc. But nothing that I can think of that will bowl you over.

In short, Yes, it's very possible, as long as you put lots of time into it. Limit your TLC time with Tee a bit for the next 2 weeks and all should be fine

is this supposed to be the 12th or 24th?

either way from your previous pc related studying topics, it seems you pretty determined when you put your mind to it so don't think it would be too difficult to achieve...

Once you "get" SQL, it'll be easy. So th 12th is possible.
The reason why I couldn't understand why some subqueries didn't work is because you can't really debug through each row returned...and that pissed me off.

ooooh, dont forget about inner join and outer join and all that nice fun stuff on your sql queries as well...

SQL is not too hard to master, it is just darn frustrating...

beware the trick questions... how to create a copy of a table without including the data, that sort of silliness is common.

SQL syntax is 100% logical... much like constructing macros. once you get the basics down, it's plain sailing... aside from the odd challenge introduced by certain db designers, (naming a column Order or Select)...

rustypup wrote:aside from the odd challenge introduced by certain db designers, (naming a column Order or Select)...

Not too much of a challange with SQL2005 I've just had to deal with a table that had a field called User.

Nothing a few square brackets can't sort out

Great, thanks guys

I installed it last night, i'll start my studies tonight (when i get back from that big-@$$ Asus show at Kyalami )