Starting in SQL

[Revilogy]

Hey,

I am currently starting out in SQL, I'm a "trainee" ICT Tech at my school, so I'm currently juggling a fair bit, bareing in mind I'm still a student.

 

I'm starting to make a Ink Inventory SQL Database, and need some help with it, I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions to FREE tutorials, with front-end design in C#.

 

Thanks!

[Patman]

Hi Revilogy,

 

Do you know C# well? What database are you planning to use? Are you designing the database, or are you updating and querying it? If you are designing and creating it, what resources as far as machines, etc, do you have?

 

There are some basics of designing databases that, if understood well, make your use of SQL much more effective.

 

You say you are still a student. At what level are you at the moment?

 

-patman

[Revilogy]

I do BBC level 3, unfortunately I have no real experience in any programming. I do networks and hardware more. I have a basic SQL database now running on a improvised server. I just need a front end. Essentially it catalogues our schools ink supply.

[Revilogy]

Sorry that should be BTEC

[jamesfed]

Take a look at Visual Studio LightSwitch - LightSwitch great place to start out and do rapid design of database applications.

 

You can get the 'Community' edition of Visual Studio 2013 now for free; not so sure if that includes LightSwitch but if not see if your School is signed up for DreamSpark.

[Revilogy]

We have signed up which was nice of them. I will have a look at this. Is it based off of C#, or is it something completely different

[Patman]

Revilogy, the approach you take will depend on what you want down the road. Will you want to do a lot more of this kind of thing, or do you just want to do this and be done with it? Here are a few more thoughts.

 

1. Programming, Database Design, and SQL, are 3 distinct, but interrelated skills.

2. If you want to get a database up and running relatively quickly with a nice interface, but with limited users, you can use Access. There are lots of online resources available. Google "learning access database". It takes care of both frontend (your "code"), and backend (your database). You can typically connect Access to an existing database.

3. If you want to learn to program and get the fundamentals that you can apply to other languages, you can try something like EdX's https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-computer-science-harvardx-cs50x#.VObCcGSUcrM and if you want to dip you toe into SQL, you can try something like SQL Introduction

 

Good luck.

 

patman

[Revilogy]

I have used access before. But I wanted bragging rights 😀. Thank you for your replies, I will eventually work it out!

[Geoff]

For basic SQL have a look at the W3Schools tutorial.

 

SQL Tutorial

[Revilogy]

That's where I have been getting my basics from. I now have a fully working, but primitive, database. I just need a good frontend for it.

[jinnantonnixx]

I did a project a while ago using Linq and Entity Frameworks. It was nice to program using native SQL objects, rather than constructing SQL strings (like in ADO). This has always seemed messy, writing in one language to construct another. Linq seems a much cleaner way of working with SQL as part of a larger project.

 

Here's a video about Linq and EF. See if it's something you want to pursue.

 

Edited February 21, 2015 by jinnantonnixx