MSSQL / SQL practice and answers

[Mifferz]

So I need to improve my SQL skills, are there any good online sites which give tutes/activities with answers? And provides downloadable tables so I can practice.

Yes I'm a big baby and want my hand held

[zach]

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver

+

Northwind lol (http://www.microsoft.com/download/en....aspx?id=23654)
Adventureworks (http://msftdbprodsamples.codeplex.com)

What do you want to improve specifically?

Garden variety queries with JOINS and UNIONS or

TSQL/DBA stuff? There's plenty of build in MS sprocs and triggers to make DBA stuff easy, MSDN has those too (sp_helpdb etc etc).

[Mifferz]

Thanks, will take a look at them.

"Garden variety queries with JOINS and UNIONS or"

Yep and selects based on conditions, and heaps more advanced stuff.

Background: I did basic SQL at uni years ago, my last job I rarely wrote my own SQL, and when I did I usually looked at previous scripts written by others and had to spend heaps of time googling.

Current job requires a lot more of SQL writing so here I am

[purehybrid]

SQL is rediculously easy to learn if you just need to pull/manipulate specific data. It's really only when you need to be creating the most efficient/optimised queries that it gets a bit whacky So don't stress too much... just run with the links above and play around with the adventureworks stuff. You'll be smashing out data/reports/etc in no time

[SchRAMBO]

HeidiSQL Is bloody awesome for importing an SQL database and then able to query it with one liner SQL commands and instantly see the outcome. I'm no SQL guru either but I find this helpful for learning too.

I'm the same with Mifferz, hardly touch the stuff and just hack other peoples scripts and the power of Google-fu.

[rm -rp ./Matt*]

tizag has really good efficient tutorials, http://www.tizag.com/sqlTutorial/