welcome
Thank you for purchasing the MEAP edition of Learn SQL in a Month of Lunches. I hope this early access will provide immediate benefits to you, and that, with your feedback, we can make the final book even more helpful to future readers.
SQL was created in the 1970s, and yet with the ever-increasing use of databases, the demand for professionals who know SQL has continued to rise. However, despite being a programming language, much of the current demand is for SQL knowledge in non-programmer positions. In today’s data-driven marketplace it is now business analysts, product managers, marketers, and many others who need direct access to data to make critical business decisions.
This book is designed for all SQL beginners, including those who are not necessarily software developers. It emphasizes practical ways to use SQL, rather than theoretical, helping you quickly assimilate the basics needed to begin implementing what you’ve learned. If you know how to use Windows or MacOS and have experience using spreadsheet applications, then you absolutely are ready to start learning how to use SQL to read and manipulate data, create database objects, and more.