[Supplemental] Store and use data with

SQL
Programming is a useful skill that can help data analysts manage and interact with data to
uncover helpful insights. There are many different programming languages that data analysts
use to write code so that they can interact with databases. Structured query language or SQL
(often pronounced “sequel”) is a programming language commonly used by data analysts. SQL
allows data analysts to store, organize, and access data in relational databases.

In this reading, you’ll learn about the structure of relational databases, and how data analysts
use SQL to interact with data in these databases.

Relational database schema

Relational databases follow a consistent schema that organizes data into one or more tables. In
each table, the rows represent single records, such as a customer order, while the columns
represent unique attributes for the record, such as the order number, order date, and order
revenue. Tables in relational databases contain primary keys, which are identifiers that
reference a column in which each value is unique. For example, in the following example tables
the Order_ID is the primary key of the Orders table, while the Customer_ID is the primary key
for the Customers table.

Example e-commerce database

Orders
Order_ID Customer_ID Order_Date Order_Revenue Shipping_Date

1 20432 12/15/23 $120.35 12/16/23

2 25093 12/16/23 $22.98 12/17/23

3 10268 12/16/23 $66.75 12/17/23

1
Customers

Customer_ID Customer_Name Billing_Address Shipping_Address

10268 Susan 4467 Mercer Street 4467 Mercer Street

Elmwood, Wisconsin Elmwood, Wisconsin
54740 54740

20432 Michaela 4662 Hickory Heights Dr. 4662 Hickory Heights Dr.
Belpre, Ohio Belpre, Ohio
45714 45714

25093 Juan 1002 Rocky Road 1879 Leroy Lane

Wayne, Pennsylvania Mitchell, South Dakota
19088 57301

Tables in relational databases also contain foreign keys, which are columns within a table that
are primary keys in another table. When a table has a foreign key, it can be connected to the
other table that shares the same column. For example, the Customer_ID column is the foreign
key in the order table because it’s the primary key of the customer table.

Interact with relational databases using SQL

In order to interact with relational databases, data analysts write queries that work with how
the data is structured. A query is a statement written in a programming language that accesses
or manipulates data in a database. Data analysts that understand the schema of relational
databases, as well as the basic structure and commands of a SQL query, can efficiently interact
with data in relational databases. There are four basic commands that data analysts use when
working with data using SQL:
1. Creating a table or database
2. Selecting columns
3. Targeting relevant information
4. Sorting

Creating a table or database

Data analysts use the creating a table or database command when they need to make space
for new data. In order to create a table, a data analyst writes a query that includes the CREATE
TABLE table_name (column 1 data type, column 2 data type) statement. Create table allows
data analysts to identify the title of the table, and then in parentheses specify the titles of each
column along with the data type. The following query is an example of how a data analyst

2
would build a table called Products that includes columns for the product’s ID number, name,
color, and inventory.

Unset

CREATE TABLE database.Products (

Product_ID STRING,
Product_Name STRING,
Color STRING,
Inventory INT64);

Selecting columns

Data analysts can select columns to focus on specific parts of the data to help answer a
specific question, or investigate a particular trend when retrieving information from the
database. For example, if a data analyst is interested in understanding the relationship between
sales and marketing, they could select the columns for sales and marketing data to analyze the
relationship between them.

Data analysts select columns by writing queries that include SELECT column1, column2, …
FROM table_name statements. The select command identifies what columns a data analyst
wants to be pulled from the database, and the from command identifies which table the
information should be pulled from. To select all the columns in a table, a data analyst would
replace the column titles after SELECT with an asterisk (*). The following query is an example
of how a data analyst could select the order date and order revenue columns from the orders
table.

SELECT Order_Date, Order_Revenue FROM Orders;

Targeting relevant information

Targeting relevant information involves retrieving specific information that fits designated
criteria from one or more tables within a database. A data analyst can target relevant
information following the same query structure as selecting a column, but with an added
WHERE condition statement. The SELECT statement retrieves the information from specified
columns in one or more tables, while the added WHERE statement identifies conditions that
the selected data must meet in order to be returned as a result. The following query is an
example of how a data analyst could retrieve a specific customer’s name and shipping address
from the example ecommerce database when the Customer_ID is known.

3
SELECT Customer_Name, Shipping_Address FROM Customers WHERE Customer_ID=25093

Sorting

Data analysts use the sorting command to order data within a table based on the information
in a specific column. In order to sort data, a data analyst writes a query that selects a column in
a specific table, then they add an ORDER BY column1, column2, ... ASC|DESC statement. The
order by statement identifies whether the selected column should be in ascending (ASC) or
descending (DESC) order. The following query is an example of how a data analyst could sort
the orders table so that the data was in order from the most recent order.

SELECT Order_Number FROM Orders ORDER BY DESC

Key takeaways
Data analysts frequently encounter data in relational databases, which structures the data into
one or more tables organized by columns and rows. Relational databases often have large
amounts of data, so data analysts use SQL to interact with the data more efficiently by writing
queries. When getting started with data analysis, you can use common commands to create a
table or database, select columns, retrieve information, and sort data. You can become a more
effective data analyst and improve your data management and analysis skills by familiarizing
yourself with how to write SQL queries.

Resource for more information

Review the following resource to explore more SQL commands and statements that you can use to
interact with data:
● W3 schools provides definitions and tutorials for writing a variety of SQL queries.