So let's start out by understanding what SQL actually is.
Now, for those unaware, there are many applications that run in the
background on web servers and actual application servers inside of different
networks and systems and the organizational footprint.
And it's a lot of data for us to be able to maintain track of.
So that's where databasing comes into play at.
And SQL is one of those types of database platforms.
So imagine if you will, an Excel spreadsheet where you have rows
and columns, very much two dimensional.
So you say A1 going over to C7 sounds like a chess game, but it's one actual
sheet of information that contains all sorts of important data for our organization.
Now, once the organization starts growing out a little bit, that data
becomes a little bit too much to maintain on a two dimensional spreadsheet in Excel.
And so we graduate and we start going into Microsoft access, for example,
where you can imagine that as an array of spreadsheets, so multiple
spreadsheets laid across where we're cross-referencing between
those different spreadsheets.
And this allows us to be able to keep track of more data and
more types of data as well too.
Now, I don't mean as far types, as far as like, you know, variables
and integers and things like that, because you can do all that
inside of spreadsheets as well.
What I mean is, is that it allows us to be able to expand our availability
of data input because platforms like Microsoft access allow us to be able
to go through and input far more data into a spreadsheet, a tracker of sorts
to be able to compute all of that data.
Now, once we started reaching the boundaries of Microsoft access and
it starts running a little bit slow for our data input and things like that,
we want to graduate one more time.
And this time we're going to a SQL database.
And SQL, if you will imagine multiple accesses being able to compile all
that data into one glorious database.
So we go from spreadsheet to access where we can put multiple
spreadsheets together in an array, kind of, and then into SQL database
to where we have multiple of those arrays.
So array, array, or in programming terms, dual array.
And that allows us to be able to keep track of large, huge amounts of data,
not infinite because based on resources and all that, but it allows us to be
able to maintain things like web applications or more commonly for you
system admins out there, Windows updates on the WSIS server, because they use a
form of SQL databasing either locally on the WSIS or on its own individual database.
Now for new gamers out there, SQL databasing is a way for us to be able
to run the server side of our games.
For those like me that spent years on the, uh, I don't want to name the name,
but I was a enhancement rogue, if you will, that, that game was basically
built on a large server farm, all of SQL databasing, see on the back
end of the actual game itself.
It was just a bunch of data points that allowed us to be able to take that and
communicate it to and translate it over to video form.
We enjoyed the video game, but every piece of item that you got from those
bosses down in the fiery depths of the core and hint, not judge, that's all a
piece of information inside of that database itself.
You're positioning on a map, currently a piece of information stored inside
of that database, correlating with the actual map that you're on to the gear
that you're wearing to the actual chat that you're having with the NPC to your
quest and going all the way to the boss that happens to have a hand of some sort
of Ragnaros type, all stored in a wonderful database.
Now, full disclaimer here, I am not a databasing or a SQL mastermind.
I know enough to be dangerous.
And that is being able to configure, install, and maintain SQL databasing to
correlate data points in a server or networking platform.
So I know enough to be able to go through and maintain and make sure that all the
data correlates like it's supposed to.
I even know how to make different types of queries and do command line
interfacing changes to my database.
And I know more than your average system administrator when it comes to database
maintenance, but we do have a guru.
One who knows all of the SQL here on CBT Nuggets, and that's Jonathan.
He is by far the most knowledgeable person I know for databasing.
So if you ever have any inkling to go through and learn more about
databasing, definitely check out his skills here on CBT Nuggets.