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/biz/ - Business & Finance

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312661 No.312661 [Reply] [Original]

How useful is SQL and how much more intensive than Excel is it?

>> No.312672

>>312661
>How useful is SQL
Very
>how much more intensive than Excel is it?
I don't understand what you're trying to ask.

>> No.312675

>>312672
if excel is a 4 on a scale of 1-10 of difficulty, where is SQL?
Do non-IS roles use it?

>> No.312676

>>312661
You use them for different purposes. If you're doing a spreadsheet you use excel, if you're storing organized data in a database you use SQL. If you're not making websites or anything like that then just use Excel.

>> No.312693

>>312661
it's job security in a shit economy useful

doesn't even compare to excel, SQL is used for databases with millions of records at a minimum

a monkey could learn excel in a month but it'll take 1-2 yrs to fully master SQL if you aren't an assburgers

>> No.312708

>>312661
SQL is standard query language, which is the language used for creating/maintaining/accessing databases.

Excel is, in general, spreadsheet applications.

It's honestly not the same field.

>> No.312712

As a guy straight out of college that never programmed in my life. I fucking love SQL.

I'm just a Business Analyst (consultant) and the automated reporting you can create if you get decent at SQL gets all the bitches wet.

That's on the business side at least. The business generally hates interacting with IT for these things because it's so fucking slow, so if they can get a guy on their level to do this shit they go nuts.

I'm lucky that I work in a company that has a bunch of smart people that are willing to answer all my dumb questions. That's how I learned most of it.

>> No.312716

>>312712
how long does it take to get the bearings?

>> No.312723

>>312716

I wish I could say, but getting the initial syntax down was the hardest part for me.

Like all the small rules, that shit will trip you up for a while.

Once you get past that initial hump you'll start really getting into it and picking up things yourself.

I guess googling will be your best bet for learning, but it's really nice to have people you can poke for questions.

>> No.312732

>>312723
syntax is the easy part

optimization is the hard part

if your boss asks for an analysis of last years sales data broken down by market, you won't get very far if you tell him "ok it looks like my query is going to take 18 hours to finish"

>> No.312735

>>312732

Play around with it enough and you'll get optimization.

That's how I learned it.

That and those automatic teradata emails telling me my query sucks..

>> No.312738

>>312675
>If a banana is a 4 on a scale of 1-10 of difficulty, where is a car?
What you sound like trying to compare Excel to SQL.

>> No.312762

excel=spreadsheet
sql=database


>pic related sql example

>> No.312764
File: 19 KB, 610x555, 238289231.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
312764

>>312762
oops forgot pic

>> No.312767

>>312738
a person with a good understanding of SQL would help someone out with easily digestible information, tactfully responding to ignorance whilst providing new information.

>> No.312770

>>312738
to be fair i forgot to add that I found your post genuinely lolzwerthy

>> No.312779

>>312767
>>312770
>>>9gag

>> No.312806

>>312712
Sorry for these odd questions, but i am currently trying to set my path to become an analyist.

Major?
College?
Ballpark starting sal?

>> No.312811

>>312806
Business Admin, concentrating in finance and accounting because I'm a failure that sucked at studying so engineering and tougher majors were out of the question

One of the top ranked public universities in the country.

50k/yr is probably the lowest you'll find, better GPA and internship/work experience will likely = higher pay.

>> No.312815

>>312738

That's not a good comparison at all.

In fact a lot of beginning intro SQL books show you how to do queries and such in both Excel and other SQL software programs.

OP... SQL teaches you how to do certain operations and shows you how to do statements and queries. Excel is just one of a variety of programs that let you implement that knowledge.

>> No.313280

>>312661
SQL is not useful in the slightest.

>> No.313289

>faggot business majors talk about excel and SQL as if they were the hardest tools on earth to master

I learned SQL in a weekend when I needed to write some code to interface with a database.

>> No.313300

>>313289
im literally a millionaire

>> No.313322
File: 1.21 MB, 236x177, 1341520313983.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
313322

>mfw I write SQL in Excel

>> No.313323

i know SAS very well, and so feel like I have a decent handle of the syntax and uses of SQL but I've never actually used it outside of the SAS environment (in proc sql).

it's obviously different to VBA (if that's what you mean by excel) because that is OO-lite

>> No.313330

SQL, in an excel context, is useful for pulling data from a data base, and performing functions excel doesn't easily have, like joins.

That said, they're really not the same thing. SQL is just a language for interacting with databases. It's not a program in and of itself like excel. It's handy to know, but my experience is IT is so tightfisted with access to their databases, you really need an in to get access anyway.

>> No.313335

>>313323
All that alphabet soup. What do you mean yes I'm ignorant.

>> No.313339

>>313300
I pity you if you think learning SQL in a weekend is some remarkable feat of intelligence. Seriously, you are fucking retarded. Don't choke on your saliva.

>> No.313369

Interesting thread.

What other software skills is valued besides Excel and SQL?

I know about CAD but that is a big time investment and a bit too specialized.

>> No.313408

>>313369
R

>> No.313653

It's syntax can be a finicky bitch with vague errors.

>> No.313656

>>312661

SQL is subjective. It really depends on how piss poor the relational database is designed. SQL can get ugly if the underlying database architecture is all fucked up.

I don't even know we still use relational databases in this day and age, they are for plebs and faggots.

>> No.313660

>>313408

R is for poor fags.

SAS

>> No.313661

I've recently gotten into self-learning some programming and C as well as SQL are on the course. Programming is fucking fun and I'd love to do more of it on the job.

Ultimately though, is it possible to make money with it if your not a CS grad? MSc economist here.

>> No.313667

>>313661
you have your masters in economics and don't use programming at all? for any sort of analysis?

>> No.313668

>>313661

With C? Not unless you're working on firmware, drivers, libraries, assemblers, etc etc. It's quite honestly worthless for an economist.

You should probably stick to higher level languages like C#/VB just to automate whatever analysis shit you need.

>> No.313692

>>312661
>How useful is SQL and how much more intensive than Excel is it?
what do you mean? intensive , you mean machine cycles?
SQL is a database, excel is a spreadsheet application

>> No.313735

>>313661

If you can program you can create software which you can sell yourself and yes, become rich.

INB4 wage slave cancer

>nope can't make money with your skillz unless you're working for someone else, get a JOB LIKE ME!

>>313668

oops too late

>> No.314623

>>313660
>>313323

SAS pride world wide.

God I hate R so much

>> No.314627

>>314623
>grapes.jpg

>> No.314628

When people say SQL, they generally mean the understating of databases and their relations.

The language itself is basically just you asking something to the database and getting the data.

>> No.314634

>>314627
What does that even mean? Sour grapes?

R is free you know.
Everybody can download it for free and so most college stats courses forced me use it. I'm glad that's over with.

>> No.314635 [DELETED] 

So what are some not shit dividends stocks to invest in.

>> No.314637

>>314635
>So what are some not shit dividends stocks to invest in.
Wrong thread fuck

>> No.314639

>>312693
is it really that secure? like compared to an actuary (yes I know they use SQL sometimes too)
I'm safe from currykebabs?

>> No.315344

>>>/g/

Also, >>312675
You realize that SQL isn't just a spreadsheet program, right? It's a language for developing massive databases for enterprise use, and doesn't have a GUI.

>> No.317036

>spreadsheets
>relational database

not even the same ballpark, even Access is closer

>> No.317044

>>314628

>The language itself is basically just you asking something to the database and getting the data.

Yeah, no.

The language tells you what to do with the data, SELECT statements are just the tip of the iceberg.

Come back when you've completed some inner joins without fucking your data up

>> No.317045

how much more advanced are the SQL functions to Excels

>> No.317051

>>312712
>I'm just a Business Analyst (consultant)
Fuck! I've been trying to get your job for like 6 months, since I discovered it exists.

What was your undergrad/post-grad?

Would be very grateful for any tips you can give (what to learn, what you do, etc).

>> No.317053

>>317051
My bad, didn't see this answered here:
>>312811

>> No.317071

Where can I learn SQL?

What are some small projects I can start on to learn?

>> No.317184

You need to learn a NoSQL database like git, OP.

https://speakerdeck.com/bkeepers/git-the-nosql-database

>> No.317460

>>317045
SQL functions aren't very advanced, it's more about the fact that you can work with huge databases

>> No.317463

>>317044
>implying inner joins are difficult

>> No.317467

>>317071
w3schools is a nice start

>> No.317474

>>317184
now this is quality shitposting

>> No.317500
File: 100 KB, 1512x916, im_shitposting_and_nobody_can_stop_me1.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
317500

>>317474
I knew somebody would appreciate the joke.

>> No.317510

>>314634
grapes on a vine from the fox story

I dont know why he referenced it, R is free

>> No.317514

>>317510
He probably means that guy is too retarded to use R.