SQL Homework Help By Professional Tutors

SQL is an important skill for any programmer  be it a python, C++, java, javascript or ruby developer, almost all of them use relational databases. But if you can't afford to pay for any professional course or want to learn at your own pace and comfort without spending a single penny, you can do it by learning it online. There are so many good websites, blogs and tutorials out there on Google, to learn and master SQL. But finding them is a big headache for beginners. So, here are some of the best websites you can look up to start your SQL learning as a beginner:-

● Udemy:

Udemy is one of the biggest educational websites who has a large collection of online courses, both free and paid. These courses teach everything from basics to advanced level and are divided according to the difficulty level of the concerned subject. So, selecting the right course is very tough as you have no idea about the contents and instructors of the course. So, it is advisable to read the description of the course carefully with reviews and don't forget to watch the preview. All this will help you in selecting the best suitable course for you. Some of the most popular courses to start with are- 

-Introduction to Databases and SQL Querying 

-Advanced Databases and SQL Querying  

-Oracle SQL - A Complete Introduction 

-Microsoft SQL Server - An Introduction 

● SQLZoo

It is the most popular and best website for learning SQL online for free. This website is good for both beginners and programmers who know SQL but want to master it. As, it provides easy to understand tutorials and interactive exercises (like puzzles etc.), with examples, to write queries and show results right in your browser. Most of the SQL clauses (like SELECT clause , CREATE clause, ALTER clause, and DELETE clause etc.) are all covered by SQLZoo. Some advanced concepts of SQL like GROUP BY, Indexes, Views, SQL Joins, Sub-queries, handling NULL values in SQL, etc are also covered by this site. In short, this website is like a treasure for those who want to learn and master SQL.

●SQLBolt

It is another gem website to learn SQL online for free. It helps you to learn SQL quickly with a series of interactive lessons and exercises with examples. It contains 20 lessons which start from basic SQL query to more advanced and confusing join queries, filtering, aggregation and dealing with nulls. For beginners, it is the best resource to learn and practice SQL. SQLBolt gives a task after each lesson which can only be done by using the concepts taught in that lesson. So, it gives a complete exposure to both theoretical and practical aspects of SQL. They also provide solutions for the tasks, in case you are stuck while writing an SQL query to solve the task.

●SQL Course from Stanford University 

Stanford University provides a free SQL course which contains good quality SQL video tutorials for both basic and advanced SQL and relational database concepts. You are free to use this course without any registration, but it's better to register to save your progress. There's no fixed schedule of this course which needs to be followed. It can be done at your pace and comfort. All the materials related to this course like SQL queries, course slides are provided along with this course. So, beginners must give a try to this good quality course. 

After gathering all the resources for learning SQL, a right approach to learning plays a key role in your SQL journey. Here are some basic steps which will help you to get a right approach to learn SQL:-

Step 1: Identify the purpose of learning 

Before starting your SQL journey it is important to have a clear mindset of the destination and motive of learning. It is because while learning SQL you're going to face so many failures, confusion and frustration. So, it is very likely for you to quit in those moments if you don't have a strong reason to learn SQL. There's no general reason to learn SQL. Everyone has a different reason whether personal or professional. For some it is a necessity to learn and some learn it to reduce their workload. So, try to find your own strong reason and then proceed accordingly to save your time and energy. 

Step 2: Learn the basic syntax 

This is the most hated part of learning a programming or query language. But it's unavoidable, there's no way you can write queries without learning these. But don't worry, it just looks complex at first but is very easy to learn. Most of SQL's syntaxes are used on a regular basis like SELECT, etc. and are pretty straightforward,making it easy for you to remember. Set aside a few hours with a good resource and get through the basics quickly.

Step 3: Start working on sample projects 

 As soon as you've learned the basics, it's time to practice on real time sample projects. This forces you to apply what you've learned about writing queries and analysing real datasets to find answers. There are so many guided projects and tutorials available online you just have to select one and start working on them. The benefit is that these projects will guide you with it's solution if you are stuck badly somewhere.

Step 4: Learn about helpful SQL resources 

After practicing with some guided projects try to do it on our own. Just select the data you want and answer the question which you think you can. But before starting keep it in mind that there won't be any solution this time so it's better to familiarize yourself with some SQL resources. But try to use it only when you have tried all the ways and not made any progress. Here's some of the useful SQL resources:-

●Learning SQL 2nd Edition (PDF)

●StackOverflow SQL Questions 

●Github

●Reddit's /r/SQL community 

Step 5: Start making your own SQL projects 

Now you have all the knowledge and resources to look for help, it's time to start working on your own project. This is where Step 1 will come handy , the reason to learn SQL will help you select what project you should work on. For example, if you are learning SQL to get rid of Excel's slow working processes, your first project should be how to do those tasks quickly with SQL. 

After working on projects of your interests try to break through this shell and move to more advanced and different projects to master SQL.

Answer to this question depends on so many factors,i.e., your professional background and the purpose of learning SQL, people with or without programming background, whether you want to learn basics, Intermediate or advanced SQL etc. 

So, it will be foolish to generalize a time period for different groups of people. 

SQL is an easy programming language to learn and master especially for those who have worked with spreadsheets and already know some other programming languages. These people can master basic queries in an afternoon but will take 2-3 months to get a good grasp over it, if used daily for about 4 hours. They become proficient in using SQL in a few months and can proceed to an advanced level if they want to.

But things are different for beginners, who are completely new to programming without any prior experience of excel and spreadsheets. There are many factors which determine the time taken to learn SQL for these people like whether you are self teaching or doing any specialized course etc. Beginner's interest in the subject lies in the hands of the tutor and in the delivery of concepts to the learner. Some make it easy for beginners and some make it difficult for them. Basics of SQL can be learnt within a interval of a few weeks, no matter which background you come from. But things become difficult and confusing as you move further to Intermediate and advanced levels. In short, beginners will need much more time to master SQL. With continuous practice and learning, it will last about six months.

SQL is an easy programming language which anyone can learn. Nowadays, technology has taken on almost all fields of expertise. So, irrespective  of one's occupation whether it is technical or non-technical he has to learn these skills. These skills can be mastered easily, you just have to overcome your fear and anxiety to give it a try with full determination. Soon, you'll realize SQL has a lot of scope for non-technical people. Here's some reasons why you shouldn't be afraid of learning SQL:-

● Basic SQL is logical and straightforward 

The SQL is sentence-based. It's like talking (or writing) to the database. Meaning of queries and statements is simple and obvious. SQL queries are easier to write in comparison with performing the same task in Excel.

● Basic Maths and Excel is needed

You need some basic maths to use SQL like knowledge about >,<,= these signs. SQL is used to add, subtract, multiply or divide and also make use of some simple statistics. Also basic knowledge of Excel's spreadsheets are a plus point.

So, SQL has nothing to do with your background. If you are inquisitive, detail oriented, systematic and determined nothing can stop you from mastering SQL.

Being perfect in SQL is not possible as you'll not be writing queries for the same type of problems daily. You'll be facing different types of problems in every project you get so there's something new you'll learn from it. 

But, one can polish his skills to make it better and faster. It can be done by gaining more SQL exposure and experience. To become familiar with SQL, it is important to think about how you will use the new skills you have acquired. It’s important to figure out the role you will be carrying out. Try to start looking at what you can do from a SQL or database perspective. For example, if you're an app developer then start by integrating SQL in your app.

The best way to embrace and polish your SQL skills is to include SQL in your current processes. There are so many ways to build your SQL skills, some of them are:-

● Making SQL part of your daily work

Using SQL in your daily work is great to build SQL skills. Try to take some basic SQL tasks in your workplace or try to interact with the colleagues that work with SQL. Try to get some tips from them.

● Produce Reports using SQL for your Company 

If the company you work for has a database, start writing queries that generate detailed reports to help the manager .

● Try to get maximum SQL or database project from different places

Utilize your free time to level up your skills with some earning with freelancing or volunteering opportunities. Freelance sites like Upwork, fiverr etc. have plenty of people who need help with SQL. It's the best place to gain more exposure and test your SQL skills. Another way is to volunteer for non-profit organizations who are in need of a SQL expert. You will not be paid for working on these projects but it will do wonders for your skills.

SQL syntax and semantics are much simpler than Python. There is plenty in Python to learn. However, does it mean that knowing what SELECT, INCLUDE, etc. means making you an expert in the communication database?

Obviously not. Relationship algebra is not easy to understand. SQL is just a way to define expressions; learning that does not teach you how to design tables properly. It's not just about solutions to performance issues, foreign keys, indexing here.Information details are actually similar to alchemy. Learning SQL is the first step of a very long road. You need to have a lot of knowledge in SQL in order to be successful.

In the same way, learning to write in Python is very easy. But similarly, learning how to be a good editor (with Python or any other language) and, more than just learning syntax. Basically, you learn that for the rest of your life — there is always more to learn, new strategies and emerging technologies. In other words, you will never stop learning to edit.

So, as a language, SQL is really simpler than Python. Grammar is small, the number of different concepts is small. But that doesn't really matter. As a tool, SQL is more complex than Python coding, IMO. It requires in-depth knowledge and understanding of the principles under the hood. As a sector, standard editing is much wider (and constantly changing) than related DBs and requires more information.