Scribd
Upload
97 views

Chapter 1

This document discusses SQL query formatting and best practices. It recommends capitalizing keywords, adding newlines, indenting, and ending queries with semicolons. Formatting queries clearly makes the code more readable, collaborative, professional and easier to understand and debug. Non-standard field names should be enclosed in double quotes. Following common style guides helps write clean, consistent SQL.

Uploaded by

Ingenieria Suministro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
97 views

Chapter 1

This document discusses SQL query formatting and best practices. It recommends capitalizing keywords, adding newlines, indenting, and ending queries with semicolons. Formatting queries clearly makes the code more readable, collaborative, professional and easier to understand and debug. Non-standard field names should be enclosed in double quotes. Following common style guides helps write clean, consistent SQL.

Uploaded by

Ingenieria Suministro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 25

Querying a

database
I N T E R M E D I AT E S Q L

Jasmin Ludolf
Data Science Content Developer,
DataCamp
Course roadmap

Querying databases

Count and view specified records


Understand query execution and style

Filtering

Aggregate functions

Sorting and grouping

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Our films database

INTERMEDIATE SQL
COUNT()
COUNT()

Counts the number of records with a value in a field

Use an alias for clarity

SELECT COUNT(birthdate) AS count_birthdates


FROM people;

|count_birthdates|
|----------------|
|6152 |

INTERMEDIATE SQL
COUNT() multiple fields
SELECT COUNT(name) AS count_names, COUNT(birthdate) AS count_birthdates
FROM people;

|count_names|count_birthdates|
|-----------|----------------|
|6397 |6152 |

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Using * with COUNT()
COUNT(field_name) counts values in a field

COUNT(*) counts records in a table

* represents all fields

SELECT COUNT(*) AS total_records


FROM people;

|total_records|
|-------------|
|8397 |

INTERMEDIATE SQL
DISTINCT
DISTINCT removes duplicates to return Which languages are in our films table?
only unique values

SELECT language
SELECT DISTINCT language
FROM films;
FROM films;

|language |
|language |
|---------|
|---------|
|Danish |
|Danish |
|Danish |
|Greek |
|Greek |
|Greek |
|Greek |

INTERMEDIATE SQL
COUNT() with DISTINCT
Combine COUNT() with DISTINCT to count unique values

SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT birthdate) AS count_distinct_birthdates


FROM people;

|count_distinct_birthdates|
|-------------------------|
|5398 |

COUNT() includes duplicates

DISTINCT excludes duplicates

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Let's practice!
I N T E R M E D I AT E S Q L
Query execution
I N T E R M E D I AT E S Q L

Jasmin Ludolf
Data Science Content Developer,
DataCamp
Order of execution
SQL is not processed in its written order

-- Order of execution
SELECT name
FROM people
LIMIT 10;

LIMIT limits how many results we return

Good to know processing order for debugging and aliasing

Aliases are declared in the SELECT statement

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Debugging SQL
SELECT nme
FROM people;

field "nme" does not exist


LINE 1: SELECT nme
^
HINT: Perhaps you meant to reference the field "people.name".

Misspelling

Incorrect capitalization

Incorrect or missing punctuation

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Comma errors
Look out for comma errors!

SELECT title, country duration


FROM films;

syntax error at or near "duration"


LINE 1: SELECT title, country duration
^

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Keyword errors
SELCT title, country, duration
FROM films;

syntax error at or near "SELCT"


LINE 1: SELCT title, country, duration
^

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Final note on errors
Most common errors:

Misspelling

Incorrect capitalization
Incorrect or missing punctuation, especially
commas

Learn by making mistakes

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Let's practice!
I N T E R M E D I AT E S Q L
SQL style
I N T E R M E D I AT E S Q L

Jasmin Ludolf
Data Science Content Developer,
DataCamp
SQL formatting
Formatting is not required
But lack of formatting can cause issues

select title, release_year, country from films limit 3

|title |release_year|country|
|------------------------------------------------|------------|-------|
|Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages|1916 |USA |
|Over the Hill to the Poorhouse |1920 |USA |
|The Big Parade |1925 |USA |

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Best practices
SELECT title, release_year, country
FROM films
LIMIT 3;

|title |release_year|country|
|------------------------------------------------|------------|-------|
|Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages|1916 |USA |
|Over the Hill to the Poorhouse |1920 |USA |
|The Big Parade |1925 |USA |

Capitalize keywords
Add new lines

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Style guides
SELECT
title,
release_year,
country
FROM films
LIMIT 3;

|title |release_year|country|
|------------------------------------------------|------------|-------|
|Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages|1916 |USA |
|Over the Hill to the Poorhouse |1920 |USA |
|The Big Parade |1925 |USA |

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Style guides

Holywell's style guide: https://www.sqlstyle.guide/

Write clear and readable code

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Semicolon
SELECT title, release_year, country
FROM films
LIMIT 3;

Best practice

Easier to translate between SQL flavors

Indicates the end of a query

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Dealing with non-standard field names
release year instead of release_year

Put non-standard field names in double-quotes

SELECT title, "release year", country


FROM films
LIMIT 3;

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Why do we format?
Easier collaboration
Clean and readable

Looks professional

Easier to understand

Easier to debug

INTERMEDIATE SQL
Let's practice!
I N T E R M E D I AT E S Q L

You might also like