Beginner's guide to learning SQL

Luckily, most can learn SQL in three to four weeks. This timeline may vary depending on whether you have prior programming experience, how you will use SQL, and other factors. We’ll dive into those and everything else you should know about learning SQL below.

SQL has been around for a long time — almost half a century. Two researchers(opens new window) created SQL while working at IBM in the early 70s. They called it SEQUEL then. It’s now shortened to SQL and stands for Structured Query Language.

SQL is a language for communicating with databases. It isn’t a programming language but a query language. It only works within a database and allows users to access or manipulate data.

Before SQL, businesses struggled to handle large amounts of data. The infrastructure couldn’t support it. It’s because of SQL and its versatility, that companies today are able to manage millions of customer records and other large datasets.

Written SQL code acts like a set of instructions that a database follows. Before you can understand what SQL is used for, you need to understand databases.

A database can be anything that stores information about customers, orders, products, finances, and more.

You may not realize it, but most sites and applications use databases. Video streaming services like Netflix collect and use data to recommend content to users. Amazon has a huge database that it uses for advertising, product recommendations, and more.

This makes SQL a highly sought-after skill in the tech world. Many tech companies, from Microsoft to Google, use SQL and customize the base language for their own database systems.

SQL is the dominant programming language for all database management systems (DBMS). These can be compared to content management systems (Squarespace, WordPress, etc.). But instead of managing content, they manage data.

Examples of DBMS systems include:

According to Stack Overflow’s 2023 Developer Survey(opens new window), 52% of professional developers use SQL. It’s the third most commonly used programming language behind JavaScript and HTML/CSS.

As mentioned, websites and apps that capture data — login info, purchase history, and other behaviors — all require databases. The data passes through the database management system. Then, developers can use SQL to store data and manage how an application uses it.

When you post an image on Instagram, that post’s data is sent through Instagram’s system and stored in its database. Every time you open the app, it runs SQL queries to show you the posts in your home feed, and it grabs that information from the database before serving it.

SQL goes beyond what users see. Data is incredibly important in today’s world, and Data Analysts use it for research every single day.

When Data Scientists need to retrieve or manipulate data, they use SQL. With SQL, you can write statements that will query a database to perform anything, including returning data, changing it, or deleting it. It is known as CRUD:

They are types of commands that applications that manage data need.

This data control language also allows you to query databases to find exactly what you need to analyze. Finance, marketing, science, and many other industries and disciplines use SQL to analyze data.

There are a handful of SQL skills that Devs and Data Scientists will need to master, such as:

There are many reasons why gaining SQL knowledge can benefit your career. Here are some of the top ones.

SQL is used nearly everywhere, from major companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, down to small startups. Any Software Developer who’s interested in doing backend, full stack, or API development needs to know SQL.

In addition, SQL is one of the most in-demand skills for data science jobs. According to a 2023 study by 365 Data Science(opens new window), 60% of data science roles require SQL. You’d have difficulty in a data analytics role without it.

Learning SQL can lead to a lucrative six-figure job. According to data from ZipRecruiter, here are the salary ranges for five careers that use SQL:

SQL Developer:

Senior SQL Developer:

Data Scientist salary:

SQL Data Analyst:

Software Engineer salary:

Building your SQL skills can lead to more job opportunities beyond developer and data science roles, too. It’s common for QA Testers, Support Specialists, and analysts to know SQL. Additionally, most technical jobs in finance or marketing require knowledge of SQL concepts.

People often ask, “How long does it take to learn SQL?” The good news is you can learn the basics of SQL in as little as a few weeks. SQL uses many terms that you are already familiar with—Select, Where, Delete, Update, etc. However, there are more advanced SQL commands you’ll need to learn to reach a high level of mastery.

The trick is to learn how to arrange your SQL statements to perform the actions you want. To learn SQL faster and develop your skills, consistently practice using SQL commands to manipulate data.

If you’re wondering how long it takes to learn SQL, you may already have a specific job title in mind. Developing SQL skills can open the door to many different career paths, so you may want to explore your options.

Most developers use SQL, but not all. Frontend Developers, for instance, may rarely need SQL. But for some roles, SQL is a requirement. Full-stack and Back-end Developers use SQL the most, as they need it to manipulate data within a system.

As a Data Scientist, you’ll use SQL in almost every aspect of your job. Data Scientists help organizations make sense of their data. They also find new ways to collect, organize, and analyze data. With a firm grasp of SQL knowledge, it’s easier to look for trends and patterns in datasets and use those insights to make strategic decisions.

Similar to Data Scientists, Business Analysts also use SQL for data analytics, but generally on a smaller scale. They typically stick to marketing data and similar fields to make data-driven decisions for an organization.

DBAs manage the ins and outs of databases, from how they’re structured to how they operate. They assist developers with integrating the database into a system and work on optimizing queries.

Software Engineers use SQL and other programming languages to develop software applications. They handle every stage of the software development lifecycle, from brainstorming new products to maintaining software.

Aspiring tech professionals often wonder, “Is coding hard to learn?” On its own, SQL isn’t difficult to learn. You can learn SQL basics in as little as two to three weeks, especially if you have prior programming experience. However, it can take months of practice before you feel comfortable using this data manipulation language.

Determining how long it takes to master SQL also depends on how you plan to use it. Learning SQL for development might take a little longer, especially if you are not familiar with many programming languages. Learning SQL purely for data analysis can take less time because you don’t need to have a development background.

The syntax — the rules of what a word or combination of words mean — for SQL is easy to learn for two reasons:

That doesn’t mean learning SQL is without challenges. For example, it may be difficult to find data to use while you’re learning.

Another challenge in learning SQL is that each database’s flavor of SQL is slightly different. This is uncommon for programming languages but not for SQL.

Since SQL is a standardized language, all implementations of it generally work the same. Some database software will come with additional features. As an example, you can see PostgreSQL’s documentation on their version of SQL here(opens new window).

Talking about learning a new language can seem vague without real-world examples. We’ve shared some common SQL examples and how you might use them below.

The SQL SELECT statement retrieves data, usually from a table. You might use it to pull up information from a specific customer, city, or other criteria.

In SQL, the UPDATE statement changes or edits selected data. You’ll likely use UPDATE in combination with WHERE or SET.

This statement tells the database which row should be updated, and without it, you could update everything.

The SET statement identifies a column and a value to update. For example, you might want to update a customer’s last name after they get married.

Combined, SQL might look like:

UPDATE Customers

SET ContactName = 'Jane Smith',

WHERE CustomerID = 3;

This would update the name of the customer listed in Row 3 of your data table to Jane Smith. Of course, this is a basic introduction to SQL. As you progress, the statements and how you use them will be more complex.

SQL is one of the easiest languages to learn, and you can gain programming experience at little to no cost. For example, Multiverse’s Data Fellowship program is free, and you’ll get paid to learn SQL and data visualization.

Here are some steps that can help you learn the basics of SQL quickly and effectively.

Learning any computer programming language starts with the basics — common vocabulary and phrases. The SQL syntax is easy to learn, and there are hundreds of tutorials online to speed up the learning process. You can test your knowledge of the basics with flashcards, online challenges, and free quizzes. Look for tutorials that fit your learning style and provide plenty of examples.

There are also dozens of free learning resources like this SQL Query Cheat Sheet(opens new window). Don’t feel like you need to remember every line of SQL code in order to start using it. Many Developers and Data Scientists search Google for SQL code when they need it.

But you need to know what to search for, and that comes with practice. Get your hands dirty and write some queries of your own to gain valuable coding experience.

To practice SQL, you’ll need to download a database management system like MySQL or PostgreSQL. However, that’s only part of the equation. You’ll need real data sets to work with first. Then, add your data sets to a database and practice manipulating it with SQL.

Kaggle(opens new window) is one site where you can pull test data for free. Practicing with real data in a database is the goal. Eventually, you’ll get comfortable writing queries and pulling data.

The real power of SQL happens when you are able to combine and manipulate data from multiple sources or tables. In SQL, joins are statements or clauses that make doing this possible. With joins, you can access data from two or more data tables.

A practical example of this is social media. When users update their profile name, a SQL join can simplify the process. With it, the application can update the name of the user’s profile information and past post history. If you want to excel with SQL, you’ll need to learn joins.

Even though Structured Query Language has existed since the 1970s, it still powers modern sites and software.

If you’ve ever wondered how to learn SQL, there’s no time like the present. As for, how long does it take to learn SQL? Well, that depends on you and your learning process.

With a surplus of online resources online, you can quickly get started with building and manipulating databases in no time at all.

If you want to take a more structured approach and build a foundation for a Data Science or Software Engineering career, including SQL, check out our paid apprenticeships.(opens new window) We’ll help you gain programming experience, learn SQL commands, and apply your skills in real world scenarios. You’ll also receive one-on-one coaching to help you navigate the job market and pursue your ideal career path.