Nine reasons why developers should learn SQL

Source: Internet
Author: User
9 Reasons Why developers should learn SQL from http://article.yeeyan.org/view/227205/209768

Press:"A little understanding of everything makes life a little more colorful ."Programming LanguageDevelopment tools, databases, front-end web pages, and even art designs. If they can help us get things done and make us a better developer, we may try again.

In fact, there are a lot of cool new things you may be learning. It seems that every 12.8 seconds there is a new technology, so why do you need to spend free time learning an old and smelly language like SQL? Let me tell you why.

SQL is portable

Students in the computer department are taught hundreds of Technical and theoretical concepts when obtaining their degree. Many of the information cannot be directly applied to daily programming tasks, however, SQL introduces the basic concepts that students can transfer between different platforms. different platforms have a common vocabulary and Tool Group, so that students can take them anywhere.

Although each database vendor implements their own extensions, each new version of the vendor complies with the ANSI/iso SQL standard. Standard compatibility, although subtle, also enables you to bring your knowledge from one platform to another. If you learn SQL, you will be ready to move from one database to another.

SQL never changes

My good friend and business partner joked that he became a database administrator because SQL has not changed for 35 years and most of it is true. Vendors implement their own extensions and eventually add them to SQL standards, but the core of SQL has not changed. Once you understand the basic and relational principles of SQL (not that difficult), you will find that you can continue to rely on this knowledge, add features and functions that you originally implemented by other tools or developers.

Easy SQL Performance gain

In an applicationProgramPerformance gains can be achieved in only a few places-presentation layer, application layer, and storage layer. The truth is, yourCodeIt has been well written and well adjusted, and obtaining performance gains from it is as difficult as getting blood from a stone. On the other hand, the database is easy to make some simple changes (add an index, slightly modify a query) and see the great performance improvement. After spending a considerable part of my career staring at the database analyzer as an application developer, I can prove it. It is possible to get performance improvements from program code, but modern frameworks and tools are usually well written, so databases are generally a better place (and are considered easier) find low-hanging fruits for performance improvement.

SQL makes you a better developer

The "Practice of programmers" book inspires developers to learn a new language every year, not because the environment is constantly changing, but because new languages are learned to demonstrate new models to developers. There are different ideas when thinking about problems, and they can be well applied to different solutions (I have learned a lot recently by studying functional programming ). Learning SQL can teach you how to think in a set rather than iterative way. In the long run, this will change the way you think when dealing with data and improve your database code.

Enhance communication between teams

Have you ever tried to talk to someone in the same language but in very different dialects? Outside of work, it is difficult to communicate across languages, but when a project's success depends on this, it is totally maddening. Learning SQL will help you communicate with the database administrator team about your goals. They don't need to parse what you mean, so you can tell them exactly what you need. In the end, there will be fewer misunderstandings and things can be done faster. You will no longer be the "crazy developer ".

Work guarantee

I hate to say this, but learning SQL may mean that you can keep your job when Ted in the compartment is fired during the layoff season. The more skills you have, the more job you can perform, the more valuable you become to your current employer (and future employers ). If you can work with both the database team and the development team, you will become a valuable resource, and both teams will depend on you for success.

SQL is really not that difficult

Contrary to the general concept, SQL is not a language that is hard to learn. SQL is a different way of thinking, which is positive, but it is not difficult. There are only a few commands, operators, and data types recorded in ANSI/ISO standards. Although manufacturers add their own features, there is still a part of simplified core knowledge that you can learn and apply to every place you go.

Understand when it is not suitable for Databases

Databases are symptom-level tools for solving many problems, but they are bad for solving more problems. In other words, you may not need to use a hammer to dig the trench. By learning and understanding SQL, you will be able to make better decisions and remove poorly performing code from the database. In fact, you will be able to discover the problem before it is formed.

Once you understand SQL, you can better understand the limitations of a relational database management system. You will know which part of the application can be securely stored in a database, and which part needs to be moved to different layers. Some data verification should be stored together with the data, while others should not. Understanding how SQL works helps you decide which rules should be kept in the database.

Easier troubleshooting

It is well known that running applications are difficult to troubleshoot. The more complexity and layering involved, the more difficult it is to troubleshoot an application. A good understanding of SQL makes it possible to quickly isolate problems in the database. In other words, understanding SQL makes it easy to locate the problem at a layer in multiple different layers of your application.

Suggestions for readers: If you do database development but cannot master SQL well, you will take a lot of detours. The so-called understanding of SQL should not only be able to write SQL as needed, but also be clear that SQL is mainly executed inside the databaseAlgorithm.

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