Chapter 1: Introduction

Welcome to SQL and thank you so much for picking up my book. I sincerely hope that this book can help you master SQL fast and introduce you to the exciting world of databases.

This book adopts a hands-on approach to learning. As we progress from one chapter to another, we'll be doing various exercises. You are strongly encouraged to follow along these exercises.

At the end of the book, we'll also be working on a new project together. This project involves building a SQL database for a sports complex. We'll learn to build the database, insert data, perform queries, write routines, views, cursors, and more.

Excited and ready to start embarking on our SQL learning journey? Let's do it!

What is SQL?

Simply stated, SQL stands for Structured Query Language and is a language used to manage data stored in a relational database.

This brings us to the next question - What is a database?

A database is a collection of data organized in some format so that the data can be easily accessed, managed and updated. The predominant type of database is a relational database. Relational databases organize data in the form of tables. In addition, they contain queries, views and other elements to help us interact with the data.

In order to manage our database, we need to use a software application known as a database management system (DBMS).

Clear?

So far, we have the following terminologies:

1) SQL is a language
2) A database is a structured collection of data
3) A DBMS is a software that we use to manage our databases

With regards to DBMS, there are a large number of them available. Some are free to download and use while others are not. The most commonly used DBMS include MySQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server and IBM DB2.

Each of these DBMS have their own versions of SQL. While this may sound intimidating, rest assured that all DBMS support the major SQL commands (such as SELECT, UPDATE, DELETE, INSERT) in a similar manner. Hence, if you know one version of SQL, it is very easy to pick up other versions.

In this book, we'll be using MySQL. This is one of the most popular DBMS available. Best of all, it's free! From this point forward, whenever I mention SQL, I'm referring to the MySQL version.

Getting Ready to Code

In order to start using MySQL, we need to first download and install two applications: MySQL Server and My SQL Workbench.

Note that the instructions provided below are accurate as of March 2025. MySQL may update its download links or alter installation procedures in the future. In such cases, you can typically find the most up-to-date installation guides on YouTube by searching for terms like "Install MySQL on Windows" or "Install MySQL on Mac" and selecting the latest video with the highest number of views.

For the time being, let's proceed with installing the latest version of MySQL.

Installing MySQL applications

Installing MySQL Server

To install MySQL Server, go to https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/. We'll download and install version 8.4.4 LTS, which is currently the latest Long-Term Support release.

Windows

For Windows users, click on the first "Download" button to download the MSI Installer.

You'll be directed to another page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "No thanks, just start my download." Once you have downloaded the program, double-click on the file and follow the instructions to install the software.

Select "Typical" at the "Choose Setup Type" screen and click on "Next" to proceed with the installation. Stick to the default options at each stage.

Once the setup wizard is complete, the MySQL Configurator will launch. When prompted for the MySQL Root Password, enter your desired password and make a note of it - you'll need it later.

Click on "Next" to continue and complete the installation, keeping the default options at each stage.

Mac

For Mac users, you'll have to select the OS version that your system uses. Select the ARM version if your system uses an Apple silicon processor (such as the M1 or M2 chip) or the x86 version if it uses an Intel processor. Next, click on the first "Download" button to download the DMG archive.

Note that MySQL server 8.4.4 is compatible with Sequoia and Sonoma. If your system uses an older OS, you can click on the "Archives" tab to find a version that is compatible with your operating system.

Once you click on the "Download" button, you'll be directed to another page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "No thanks, just start my download."

After you have downloaded the program, double-click on the file and follow the instructions to install the software.

If you are asked for permission to continue, click on "Allow", "Agree", or provide your Mac password when prompted.

At the configuration stage, enter your desired password for the "root" user and jot down the password; you'll need this password later. Ensure that the "Start MySQL Server once the installation is complete" option is selected and click on "Finish" to complete the installation; provide your Mac password when prompted to do so.

Installing MySQL WorkBench

Once you are done installing MySQL Server, you need to install another software known as MySQL Workbench. This software provides us with a graphical user interface to make it easier for us to interact with MySQL.

To download MySQL Workbench, go to https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/workbench/.

For Windows users, download the MSI Installer for the latest version (version 8.0.41 as of March 2025).

For Mac users, select your OS version (ARM or x86) and download the latest DMG archive.

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "No thanks, just start my download." to download the program. Double-click on the downloaded file and follow the instructions to install it after downloading.

Launching MySQL Workbench

Once you have installed the necessary applications, we are ready to do some coding.

First, launch MySQL Workbench, you'll get the screen below:

Click on the grey rectangle under "MySQL Connections" and you'll be prompted for a password. Enter the password that you keyed in previously when you installed MySQL Server and select "Save password in vault" (or "Save password in keychain" for Mac users). Next, press OK to proceed.

You may be presented with a warning message that says some MySQL Workbench features may not work properly. This does not affect us and you can just click "Continue Anyway" to proceed.

If all goes well, you will be directed to a screen that looks like the one below:

The main area is a text editor where we'll be entering our SQL commands. The window below is the output area (refer to the screenshot above).

There's an additional panel on the right (labeled "SQLAdditions" in the screenshot above) that we do not need. You can close this panel by selecting View > Panels > Hide Secondary Sidebar in the top menu.

Writing our first MySQL code

Now, we are ready to get our feet wet and write some SQL code.

Type the following lines into the text editor (for the first line, be sure to add a space after the two hyphens):

-- Using SELECT to display messages

SELECT 'Hello World';

SELECT 'MySQL is fun!';

You should notice that the word SELECT is in blue and 'Hello World' and 'MySQL is fun!' are in brown. (The colors may differ depending on your settings or the MySQL Workbench version that you are using).

This is the software's way of making our code easier to read. Different words serve different purposes in our program, hence they are displayed using different colors. We'll go into more detail in later chapters.

There are two ways to run the SQL commands that we wrote.

The first task is to select all the code that we want to run and click on the "Execute Selected" button (the button with a lightning bolt icon).

This button should normally be located to the right of the "Save" button (refer to the previous screenshot); it executes the selected portion of the script, or everything if there is no selection.

You will see a new panel called "Result Grid," with two tabs as shown below:

These two tabs give the results of the last two lines of code that we wrote (i.e. the two lines that start with the word SELECT).

The first line of code that we wrote does not give any result as it is a...