Welcome to Day 1 of the SQL Learning Series — your structured, beginner-friendly journey into the world of databases, one query at a time. Whether you're a curious learner, data enthusiast, backend dev, or aspiring data analyst, this series is for you.

In this 30-day challenge, we’ll cover everything from basics to advanced SQL, one digestible concept at a time — with examples, challenges, and real-life use cases. 📊💡

Let’s kick things off with some foundational knowledge.

What is SQL?

SQL (Structured Query Language) is the standard language used to interact with relational databases. It lets you create, read, update, and delete data — often abbreviated as CRUD operations.

Whether you’re building apps, analyzing data, or automating reports, SQL helps you retrieve insights from your data in seconds.

A Brief History of SQL

1970: Edgar F. Codd introduced the relational database model in a research paper while at IBM.
1974: SQL was developed by Donald D. Chamberlin and Raymond F. Boyce at IBM, initially called SEQUEL (Structured English Query Language).
1979: Oracle became the first company to offer a commercial SQL-based RDBMS.
Today, SQL is the foundation for database systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, and Oracle.

Why Learn SQL?

Data is everywhere – SQL lets you query, explore, and manipulate it efficiently.
Essential for backend, DevOps, data, and analytics roles.
Fast to learn, but powerful in practice.
Helps you develop logic, analytical thinking, and business insight.
Frequently asked in tech interviews and data case studies.

SQL is not just a query language; it’s a core skill for modern tech professionals.

Top 10 Basic SQL Commands You’ll Use Daily

Let’s look at the most essential SQL commands that every beginner must know:

Command	Description
`SELECT`	Retrieves data from a table
`FROM`	Specifies the table to query
`WHERE`	Filters records based on a condition
`INSERT INTO`	Adds new rows to a table
`UPDATE`	Modifies existing data
`DELETE`	Deletes rows from a table
`CREATE TABLE`	Creates a new table
`DROP TABLE`	Deletes an entire table
`ALTER TABLE`	Modifies a table structure
`JOIN`	Combines rows from multiple tables

These commands form the bedrock of SQL. Over the next few days, we’ll dive deep into each with real-world examples.

Announcing the 10-Day SQL Challenge!

I’m committing to learning and sharing one SQL concept every day — and I’d love for you to join me! Here's how you can participate:

Follow the daily articles or posts on this blog.
Practice the example queries in your own environment (try SQL Fiddle or DB Fiddle).
Share your learnings or solutions on Twitter/LinkedIn/Hashnode with the tag #30DaysOfSQL.
Comment your queries and progress — let’s grow together!

What’s Next?

In Day 2, we’ll write our first SELECT queries — starting with reading data from a table, filtering results, and using conditions. It's going to be hands-on and beginner-friendly.

Make sure to:

Subscribe/bookmark the blog.
Set up your SQL playground (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQLite — any will do).
Keep a learning log/journal for this challenge.

Final Thoughts

SQL might look intimidating at first, but once you get a taste of it, you’ll realize it’s just English with structure. Think of it as talking to your database, politely but firmly.

So here’s to learning something powerful, simple, and incredibly useful — one query at a time.

Let’s go crush Day 1!

#HappyQuerying

Day 1 of the SQL Learning Series: Kickstarting Our SQL Challenge!

Table of contents