57: The SQL Crash Course

You can't do science without data, and the most widely used language for storing and managing data is SQL. Many "no-SQL" databases have some language that looks quite a lot like SQL. That's because--for all its faults--SQL is a fairly well thought out language for specifying the storage, querying, and transformation of data. Learning SQL basics can only help you in data science, but there's another important reason why I feel SQL is a great way to end the course:

I don't want this course to only be about Data Science. I use Data Science and Python as a theme to teach the basics of programming. They are simply tools that help me with my goal of teaching you how to use a computer to express your thoughts and ideas.

SQL shows its face in every part of the technology industry and in many personal projects. Your phone has a 100% chance of having numerous SQLite3 databases on it. Your computers all have SQLite3 databases on them. You find SQL in web applications, desktop applications, phone applications, and even in video games. If it's not in an application you install there's most likely a SQL database somewhere between you and some other computer on the internet. Even if something doesn't use a SQL database, it is most likely using something that is very similar to one.

That means learning SQL will not only benefit you as a Data Scientist, but it'll also benefit nearly every aspiring programmer no matter what journey they take in the medium.