SQL Concepts and Practical Application

SQL is a language used to store, retrieve, and analyze data in databases.
SQL commands are grouped into categories based on their purpose.
The main two categories are;
DDL (Data Definition Language) vs DML (Data Manipulation Language) explained briefly below

• DDL (Data Definition Language): Used to define and structure database objects such as tables.
• DML (Data Manipulation Language): Used to manage and manipulate data inside those tables.

Difference between DDL & DML

Aspect	DDL (Data Definition Language)	DML (Data Manipulation Language)
Purpose	Defines database structure	Manipulates data in tables
Commands	CREATE, ALTER, DROP	INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
Effect	Changes schema	Changes records/data
Example	CREATE TABLE students	INSERT INTO students VALUES (...)

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2. Use of CREATE, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE

In my assignment this week i was able to do the to use the below:

• CREATE was used to define tables such as students, exam results, and subjects.
• INSERT was used to add records into the tables.
• UPDATE was used to correct or modify existing data, such as updating a student’s city or correcting marks in the exam results table.
• DELETE was used to remove incorrect or cancelled records. For example, result_id 9 was deleted from the exam results table.

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3. Filtering Data Using WHERE

The WHERE clause was used to filter records based on specific conditions. It supports several operators including:

• = (equal to)
• > and < (greater than / less than)
• BETWEEN
• IN
• LIKE

Examples:

• LIKE (pattern matching):

  • 'A%' → starts with A
  • 'E%' → starts with E
  • '%Studies%' → contains "Studies"

• IN (multiple values):
  
  WHERE city IN ('Nairobi', 'Mombasa', 'Kisumu')
  
  WHERE marks BETWEEN 50 AND 80

4. CASE WHEN for Data Transformation

CASE WHEN was used to create conditional logic in SQL queries.

It helped transform raw data into meaningful categories. For example, exam marks were classified into:
Distinction,Merit,Pass,Fail based on score ranges.

5. Reflection

This being my first week in using SQL .I learned how SQL is used to manage and analyze data efficiently.

The most interesting part was creating tables from scratch and adding data into them. Seeing the results using SELECT * was fascinating.

The most challenging part was ensuring correct syntax when writing multiple-row INSERT statements and using filtering conditions correctly. It was surprising how a small mistake like a missing comma could cause errors.

Overall, this has improved my understanding of how databases are structured and how data is manipulated in real-world scenarios. Its only the beginning and i already love it.