SQL is pronounced as “sequel” by some while “S-Q-L” by others. SQL is an acronym for Structured Query Language, a standard and widely accepted language used for database maintenance by performing operations such as retrieval and manipulation of data stored in a database. SQL has been in existence since the 1970s. Now a question arises: what made SQL stay in trend for so long in this technological age which is always dynamic and evolving in nature? With this, a follow-up question also pops out will the demand and significance of SQL continue in 2024 as well? Both of these will be answered in this article.
SQL is not just a programming language but it also allows us to work with data by considering it as logical sets just like joins in SQL follow the concept of the Venn diagram. It can be rightly termed a programming language that takes concepts of set theory into the picture.
What is SQL?
SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It is a standard programming language used for managing and manipulating relational databases. SQL allows users to perform various operations on databases, such as querying data to retrieve specific information, updating data, inserting new data, and deleting data. It is widely used in database management systems (DBMS) like MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, OracleDB, and others. SQL is essential for anyone working with databases, including developers, data analysts, database administrators, and data scientists.
7 Reasons Why You Should Learn SQL
Let’s go through some of the reasons for learning SQL in 2024 when most of the things and sectors have gone online and virtual. Let’s see how SQL can be a worthy skill in your skillset.
1. A Programming Language Not Only Limited To Programming Tasks
Yes, you read that right!
Usually, programming languages are assumed to be used for programming purposes only but SQL breaks this stereotype as it can be used by people in the marketing or sales team to look through their data by executing a few queries on the dataset such as to see the trend of their sales or the marketing campaigns. SQL is useful for the finance sector as well, as it is beneficial for financial analysis which helps in saving a lot of time while going through the finance data having big figures.
2. Almost Every Data Technology Supports SQL or a Flavor of It
Technology keeps on updating. With this, one has to be always updated with the latest technologies to survive in the tech industry. In the phase of learning new technology, SQL comes as a friend because most of the data-oriented technologies use SQL interface. Be it any aspect of technology, all possess data and therefore, they would have to support SQL in some form or the other. Having said that, learning SQL is a win-win situation as it is highly probable to come in handy while working on any data or data-driven technology.
3. Helpful in Handling Huge Amounts of Structured Data
Can you guess which is the most valuable thing in the technological era? Hint: It’s not money, or gold or diamond.
It’s data! This valuable data needs to be stored and managed efficiently. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, many sectors have gone from physical to completely virtual by 2024. More books are getting replaced by ebooks, papers are getting replaced by pdfs, data entry registers are getting replaced by excel sheets. This leads to more data, more data leads to the need for the management of data. It is not always convenient to analyze data manually when you have a database as big as millions of entries in it. SQL queries make it efficient to perform various operations such as getting rows based on certain filter criteria from the huge database and even performing manipulation to it as suited.
4. A Useful Tool for Data Analytics
Data analysis involves processing and interpretation of data to deduce valuable information from it which can help in answering a question or solving a problem. SQL is listed as the most in-demand skill in the skill set for Data Analyst roles as data analysis involves working with a humongous amount of data and performing manipulation on it. SQL makes it easier for a data analyst to make strategic business decisions that can benefit stakeholders by analyzing the trends of the business.
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5. The Cherry on a Cake For Data Mining
“Data Mining is the process of discovering new patterns from large data sets.” -Wikipedia
As we know, SQL works with data so when large data sets come into the picture, SQL helps in mining the useful data from a pool of datasets. SQL Server provides a data mining platform to perform operations such as Classification, Estimation, Clustering, and Forecasting so that data can be classified and figures can be estimated for some information such as predicting the price of stocks from the past data and forecasting it to analyze whether to go with stock or not. The useful information extracted while data mining can be used to make an organization more proactive and knowledge-based will then have logical aspects and studies along with it to go through the recent market trends and future trend predictions.
6. Helpful in Pursuing Data Science as a Career
If you are interested in Data Science and want to pursue a career in it, you would have come across the saying that Data Science is the sexiest job of the 21st century. Data Science is a promising career choice and it takes a data scientist to explore the data by swimming into its pool in search of patterns and discoveries. Do you know what is the starter and easier skill to learn for Data Science? It’s SQL. Big data platforms use SQL as their primary API to manage the relational databases. Joins, null value, indexes, primary and foreign keys, and subquery are some of the concepts which are beneficial to work with SQL in data science.
7. In-Demand Skill
Be it a developer, a product manager, or a business analyst, SQL helps in upskilling the career. According to the job portals, SQL is the most in-demand skill as it is robust and easy to learn programming language. Many top technical, as well as top financial giants, ask for SQL as it goes hand in hand with technologies.
With the unpredictable times that the world has faced during COVID-19, one predictable thing is that learning SQL is a big yes for 2024. SQL has been there for more than three to four decades. It is still in demand and will not go away soon as it is a powerful tool for various sectors of industry. It makes management of structured data easier, eases the client-server operations, and is not only restricted to development roles but is also an efficient choice for the analyst and financial roles.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, SQL’s enduring relevance in 2024 is driven by its versatility and crucial role in data management and analysis. As organizations prioritize data-driven decision-making, SQL skills remain highly sought-after across industries. Whether you’re a developer, data analyst, or aspiring data scientist, mastering SQL can significantly boost your career prospects in today’s dynamic tech landscape.
