[chia-pet]

Hi guys.

I require your help learning to use sql make queries in mysql databases.

I possess a good conceptual understanding of relational databases, and a fairly good conception of SQL syntax.

However, I am lacking any means of formal practice to familiarize myself with the process, the problems, the syntax.

Is there anything I can do to practice, such as download a database to practice on?

Are there any exercises about syntax that I can access online for free?

Thanks for your prospective collective help!

 

[Arainach]

MySQL is free to install and mess around with. Creating an actual database of items....not so certain where you could get one of those freely available. I'd send you a dump of one except that most of the ones I work with involve confidential info that work wouldn't take kindly to me distributing.

Personally, I'd setup the Apache/PHP/MySQL combination so that you can either (A) write a PHP database frontend if you know PHP or (B) use a great web frontend like phpMyAdmin. I use my laptop as a LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP, a popular webserver pairing) box to test databases and web designs on, but all three apps work under Windows as well.

As far as learning the language.....You say you have the concepts, so all that's left is the actual practice. I'd install MySQL and get testing.

 

[chia-pet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arainach MySQL is free to install and mess around with. Creating an actual database of items....not so certain where you could get one of those freely available. I'd send you a dump of one except that most of the ones I work with involve confidential info that work wouldn't take kindly to me distributing. Personally, I'd setup the Apache/PHP/MySQL combination so that you can either (A) write a PHP database frontend if you know PHP or (B) use a great web frontend like phpMyAdmin. I use my laptop as a LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP, a popular webserver pairing) box to test databases and web designs on, but all three apps work under Windows as well. As far as learning the language.....You say you have the concepts, so all that's left is the actual practice. I'd install MySQL and get testing.

Thank you for your reply Arainach. You offer some fantastic advice.

I forgot to mention that I've already installed Apache, PHP, and mySQL on this box. But alas, I have no effective means of practicing SQL queries, because I have no set of data to work with--I cannot make errors and then correct them to learn.

As for PHP, I have achieved a superb level of fluency in PHP without ever making use of an SQL database. I can script anything that I can conceptualize with PHP. It comes easy when you know other object-oriented languages (Java 2 for me).