Why Bother With SQL?

When data is scattered about in different formats, and contains errors, duplicates and inconsistencies; it is useless for decision making. The inability to monitor all the data pouring in and out of millions of transactions, the absence of policies for managing data quality, the inevitable risk involved with sensitive data left lying around - it's called data chaos.

Data clarity serves as the antidote to data chaos by bringing order to the abundance of information within an organization. It is a major part of the data analysis process as it involves understanding, cleaning, exploring and visualizing said data. Of course, there are many tools available for this analysis, but SQL is among the most fundamental.

SQL stands for Standard Query Language. It is a standard programming language designed for managing and manipulating relational databases. In a relational database, data is structured in a tabular format with rows and columns. SQL allows you to talk to your database so that you can query, insert, update and delete data while extracting helpful insights for your business. It is used by, but not limited to developers, data analysts, database administrators, and other professionals who work with large amounts of data.

These are some of the things that make it a very effective tool:

1. SQL queries are designed to be approachable and understandable. The syntax is structured in a way that resembles natural language, making it easy to read. The database also provides clear and informative error messages to help you identify and correct mistakes.
2. SQL allows you to ask your data specific questions. You get advanced querying capabilities for retrieving, manipulating, and analyzing data. For example, you can ask, ‘’How often do customers return to make repeat purchases?” Or ‘’ Are there any patterns between sales and external factors like weather or holidays?” The responses gotten from these queries then inform business decisions.
3. You can automate and schedule your SQL queries to run at specific intervals or when triggered by events. Useful examples include scheduling queries to run at the end of each month to calculate monthly sales figures for reporting purposes. Or automating SQL queries to monitor inventory levels and generate alerts when stock levels fall below certain thresholds. This enables you to reduce manual effort, generate insights and make proactive decisions in record time.
4. With this tool, you can protect your database and ensure your data remains confidential. SQL gives administrators the capacity to define roles and assign permissions to these roles. It also tracks user activities and database operations. It supports data encryption to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access. In other words, your data is safe on SQL.

The above reasons and many more explain why numerous organizations still make use of SQL for analyzing and preserving the clarity of data. In subsequent articles, you will get to understand more of the unique functions of this programming language and how it can cater to your business needs. Do you have prior experience with this tool? How has it been of help to you? Write about it in the comment section below.