select sql from scratch

This is a project for me to learn SQL. I want to build a solid foundation, and I know that I learn best when I figure out how to demystify concepts. The unknown shape of a thing can block me from diving in. Working on creating learning material with an agent has been empowering and motivating. I am designing the curriculum to fit my brain, and others are most welcome to see if any of this might demystify SQL for them too. These can be read in any order. Pick one or two or pick all. For me, it’s helpful to look at SQL from a variety of angles to help build a mental model:

All four introductions share the same dataset, and every example query can be run in the playground. Completely sci-fi that it’s possible to run DuckDB in the browser. I can even create new tables, insert data into those and get results, all right here:

But wait… what is a clause and where is my predicate? Normalization! Denormalization…? Got a subquery or a common table expression? There are many words to pick up and I keep track of them here:

Work in progress

Early days yet, I just started this in November. There is more basic SQL to cover. The site should get more exercises. Diagrams. Perhaps flashcards for words in the dictionary. And I have started looking at material where the dataset is larger than what can be checked with my own eyes, so the exploring data can become part of the practice.