1 Before you begin
Data now permeates every aspect of life, and organizations treat it as a core asset that must be stored securely, scaled as it grows, and made searchable. Relational databases have served this role reliably for decades, and their real value emerges when people can query and change the data. That is where SQL comes in: it is the universal, vendor-spanning language for working with relational data. Although SQL isn’t a general-purpose programming language, its focus is its strength, and its longevity means the time invested in learning it pays off for years across roles and industries.
This book welcomes readers with or without software backgrounds, emphasizing approachable, English-like SQL that quickly becomes practical. It highlights how analysts, marketers, and finance professionals can answer real business questions directly, while also serving developers, DBAs, and data scientists who need a pragmatic path to proficiency. While the lessons use MySQL, the concepts transfer to other major relational systems, with only minor, noted differences between platforms, so the skills you build will travel with you.
You’re guided to learn in focused daily sessions: early chapters establish core ideas and tools, the main sequence builds skills progressively, and nearly every chapter includes hands-on labs to reinforce learning, plus suggestions for deeper exploration. Getting started is lightweight: install MySQL and MySQL Workbench, then load a prepared sample database so you can practice immediately. Supplementary online materials demonstrate environment setup and provide every script used in the book—intended primarily for troubleshooting—while encouraging you to type queries yourself to cement understanding.
Being immediately effective with SQL
As with every other book in the Month of Lunches series, the primary goal of this book is for you to be immediately effective with SQL. In nearly every chapter that follows, a particular part of the SQL language will be presented and briefly discussed, though the majority of any given chapter will focus on how to apply what you just learned, using real-world scenarios. Furthermore, at the end of every chapter, you will get hands-on practice yourself, with exercises to complete in a lab environment.
As stated earlier, if you are looking for a deep dive into relational database theory and history, many other books out there can guide you down that path. Although there are many points throughout this book where details and nuances are discussed, every chapter is driven by the goal of making you immediately effective at accomplishing actual tasks.
OK, enough about this book. Let’s start using SQL!
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