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What is SQL?
What is SQL?
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language that enables the analyst to interact with linked data, typically found within a database.
Common use would be:
Data definition - creation of the schema/tables to store the data and type definition (i.e., strings, numbers, and so on)
Data access - the operation of reading the data, or using it for other purposes
Data manipulation involves inserting, updating, and deleting data in schemas and tables.
Data querying - interrogate the database to extract information
It is important to understand that several commercial applications use SQL under the hood, creating a user interface that simplifies the interaction between humans and machines.
This is often the case with leading suppliers who make minor modifications to the language to align with their perspective.
Why use it in your SMEs?
Why use it in your SMEs?
Your data is important, businesses create vast amounts of it every day.
Data accuracy is essential, even imperative within business transactions.
Think about the effect of an outdated price on your revenue.
Have you ever had to open several different spreadsheets, or any other list, and wondered which one had the latest address of a specific customer?
These are just a couple of examples of why data accuracy is important.
SQL can solve the problems above, creating a unique source of truth for your data.
Write it once and use it as many times as necessary throughout the value chain of your business.
Access to it at a very fast speed, manually or programmatically.
Example
Example
For an operational example, we will use a database extraction from the Food Standards Agency in the UK.
The data relates to the approved food establishments in England and Wales, updated to the 1st of September 2024, and comprises 5400 records.
Bob's business operates in the packaging sector.
For expansion, Bob is exploring the meat production sector, with the aim of segmenting prospects and creating a bespoke offering.
Bob starts by counting how many businesses are in each country (within the dataset), the result is extracted from the database in milliseconds.
The first campaign will be for companies that are also a packing centre.
This result alone gives Bob 200 prospects.
For visual simplicity the address and other information are not shown, however, the database comprises those details.
Various analyses can be conducted, even on datasets stored in different locations or in the cloud.
Real-time updates and data consistency allow creating pipelines that can suit any business need.
Conclusions
Conclusions
This page is for educational purposes only.
The language is simplified to avoid practitioner jargon and help business owners understand the system's benefits.
To discuss how SQL can help your business efficiency simply fill out the form below
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