Duration: 1/2 Day

Instructor: Douglas Clark

Prerequisites: Attendees will need to have an SQL based database and ODBC drivers installed

Audience:

The course is designed for someone that has some programming experience, preferable in C or C++. However this is an introductory course so extensive experience is not expected.

Course Description:

This is a hands-on course that covers the basics of SQL. The following topics will be included, time permitting:

• What is a database?
• Where SQL is used
• Using SQL within a programming language
• Data types
• Creating tables
• Inserting data into a table
• Displaying (selecting) data from a table
• Cursors and the result set
• Updating data in a table
• Deleting rows from a table
• Transactions: commit and rollback
• Joining tables together - relational theory
• More on inserting data
• Indexing - the road to performance
• ODBC functions
• Scalar (regular) functions
• Aggregrate functions and grouping
• Triggers, Procedures and User Defined Functions
• BLOBs and other large objects
• ODBC - the great equalizer

This course concentrates on standard SQL - meaning SQL that will run against any database.

Requirements:

Attendees should have a database installed on their laptops before attending the course. Those that do not have a database installed on their laptop, or who do not have a laptop, can team up with someone else in the course.

The instructor will be using PostgreSQL, but any SQL enabled database can be used by the student. This includes, but is not limited to: DB2/2, SQL Anywhere/Watcom SQL, Oracle, or the dBase ODBC driver that comes with Lotus Smart Suite (the dBase ODBC driver includes the dBase database).

It is strongly suggested that the attendees also install ODBC along with the ODBC driver for the database that they are using. This will allow the attendee to use the ODBC Command Processor tool that will be used by the instructor. Otherwise the attendee will have to use the tool supplied by the database for entering SQL statements, e.g. Command Center or Command Line Processor for DB2/2, ISQL for Watcom/SQL Anywhere, SQLPlus for Oracle, etc.

The class material will be available in electronic format at the class. I will have printed copies available at the class for those that contact me before the class begins.

Copies of the ODBC Command Processor will also be available in class for entering SQL statements.

Speaker Info

Douglas Clark is a Consultant in project management and has used OS/2 since v 1.3.