Getting Started with SQL

Chapter 1. Why Learn SQL?

What Is SQL and Why Is It Marketable?

It is an obvious statement that the business landscape is shifting rapidly. A lot of this is enabled by technology and the explosion of business data. Companies are investing vast amounts of capital to gather and warehouse data. But what many business leaders and managers currently struggle with is how to make sense of this data and use it. This is where SQL, which stands for Structured Query Language, comes in. It provides a means to access and manipulate this data in meaningful ways and provide business insights not possible before.

Businesses are gathering data at exponential rates, and there is an equally growing need for people who know how to analyze and manage it. Stack Overflow, the most active programming community in the world, performed a comprehensive survey on its members in 2015. Apple coding was the most in-demand technology and had an average salary nearing six figures. But SQL came in in fifth place, with a salary that was not far behind. In recent years, data has suddenly become ubiquitous—yet few people know how to access it meaningfully, which has put SQL talent in high demand.

Who Is SQL For?

One misperception about SQL is that it is an IT skill and therefore only applicable to technology (not business) professionals. In the world as it exists today, this is hardly the truth. Businesspeople, managers, IT professionals, and engineers can all reap benefits from learning SQL to better position their careers. SQL can open many career paths because it enables individuals to know their businesses better through the data that is driving them. On the business side, interest in SQL can lead to roles that are analytical, managerial, strategic, and research- or project-based. On the IT front, it can lead to roles in database design, database administration, systems engineering, IT project management, and even software development.