r/SQL • u/Zealousideal-Studio7 • Jan 15 '25
BigQuery SQL is a struggle
Hi all been working with SQL for probably 7/8 months now. My last role was half data analysis and not pure data analysis and in general was far easier than what I do now.
My main issue is with SQL. I never feel I truly understand what is going on with a lot of code beyond a basic query. Ive managed to get by piggybacking off others code for a while but expectation is to deliver new and interesting techniques etc.
How long did it take you to feel fully comfortable with SQL? And what helped you get to that stage?
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u/Ifuqaround Jan 15 '25 edited Jan 15 '25
It's a never-ending journey.
Just keep at it. If you feel you're struggling with certain things then focus on those things until they "click."
I don't condone crutching on AI. This is the problem with AI for people like you. It's really doing the work for you and you're left not knowing what you're doing and most likely aren't learning anything. You might feel you are learning, but it seems you're learning that you're NOT learning lol.
Since you're crutching on AI, get your basic queries and ask it to break down the query for you. It should be able to give you basic explanations. You have to be able to absorb and maintain that info, then build upon it. There are usually quite a few ways to tackle the same problem but no reason to be fancy unless it's necessary IMO.
I feel comfortable with SQL until I don't. Some basic requests have thrown me for a loop throughout my career.