If you are in the software testing field, you should know that database and SQL are not only the domain of database administrators or back-end developers. In the era of digital transformation, databases are key, and SQL is an essential tool for managing and understanding them. In this article we will look at the basics of SQL, its connection with databases, show basic SQL statements and talk about MS SQL.<\/p>\n
The database is where all the data is stored. It’s a comprehensive system that allows you to store, retrieve, edit and manage information. If you are testing an application that interacts with a database (and most of them do), you need to know how data travels between the database and the application and how to interact with the database – this gets to the heart of SQL.<\/p>\n
SQL, which stands for Structured Query Language, is a standardized programming language used for working with databases. It allows you to perform various data operations such as Create, Read, Update, Delete (CRUD) in a very efficient and flexible form.<\/p>\n
The use of SQL (Structured Query Language) in software testing is crucial to verify the integrity and accuracy of data that is essential for the correct functionality of applications. Below are some of the main areas where SQL is used in the context of software testing:<\/p>\n
Data verification<\/strong><\/p>\n Data manipulation<\/strong><\/p>\n Data analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n Performance testing and optimization<\/strong><\/p>\n Automation of testing<\/strong><\/p>\n Monitoring and logging<\/strong><\/p>\n When you understand SQL and databases, you become a more valuable member of the team. You can communicate effectively with developers, analysts and database administrators. You understand the technical details that are critical to the successful completion of a project.<\/p>\n Few things are as universally applicable in software testing as knowledge of SQL and databases. This knowledge will give you a glimpse under the hood of the applications you’re testing and allow you to develop skills that go beyond clicking buttons and tracking output.<\/p>\n SQL works with entities called tables, which are made up of columns and rows. The columns represent different attributes (e.g. name, age, address), while the rows represent individual records.<\/p>\n SQL has a relatively simple and easy to read syntax. Here are some basic rules:<\/p>\n Now imagine that you are testing the database system of a medium-sized company, which contains a table of employees. What basic SQL statements would you use in real test scenarios?<\/p>\n This is probably the simplest and most used command. You can use it to select data from the table.<\/p>\n In this case, you would get a complete list of all employees.<\/p>\n If you need to add new data to the database, you use the INSERT command.<\/p>\n This will add a new employee named Jozef Nov\u00e1k to the position Developer.<\/p>\n The UPDATE command allows you to change existing data.<\/p>\n Change the position of the employee with ID 5 to ‘Senior Developer’.<\/p>\n As the name implies, the DELETE command deletes data from the database.<\/p>\n You delete an employee with ID 5.<\/p>\n This statement is a bit more complex and is used to join multiple tables.<\/p>\n You’ll get a list of employees along with the name of their department.<\/p>\n The command is used to group data according to a certain criterion.<\/p>\n In this case, you get the number of employees grouped by their positions. For example, how many developers, analysts, etc.<\/p>\n There are many other SQL commands and functions that allow you to perform more complex database operations. For a deeper understanding and to get a complete list of SQL commands, we recommend you to read the official documentation.<\/a><\/p>\n Microsoft SQL Server, often referred to as MS SQL or simply SQL Server, is a relational database platform from Microsoft. It is one of the most popular database solutions on the market and is known for its robustness, scalability and wide range of functionalities.<\/p>\n There are several editions of<\/a> MS SQL Server, including:<\/p>\n SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is an integrated solution that makes it easy for you to manage, access, and use elements in MS SQL Server databases. If you’re a software tester, it’s a tool that allows you to comfortably interact with the database system you’re testing.<\/p>\n SSMS offers you a wide range of tools and features that you can use in test scenarios. These include:<\/p>\n There are several course options in Slovakia for gaining knowledge and skills in SQL. Here are some of them:<\/p>\n You can also find a lot of material about SQL on the Internet, here are some online sources of documentation and tutorials that can guide you through learning SQL:<\/p>\n In today’s IT world, a basic knowledge of SQL is more of a necessity than an advantage for a tester. We hope this article will help you better understand why this is so, and how to deal with it. The basics of SQL are not complicated at all and with a little practice you will quickly get the hang of it.<\/p>\n If you speak German and are an IT tester<\/a>, check out our employee benefits<\/a> and respond to job offers.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Master SQL basics and increase your testing efficiency. Get familiar with basic commands and MS SQL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":1960,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-testing"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n
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Bonus: Collaboration with the team<\/h2>\n
SQL syntax and basic commands<\/h2>\n
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SQL SELECT<\/h3>\n
SELECT * \nFROM Zamestnanci;<\/code><\/pre>\nSQL INSERT<\/h3>\n
INSERT INTO Zamestnanci \n(ID, Meno, Priezvisko, Pozicia) \nVALUES \n(5, 'Jozef', 'Nov\u00e1k', 'Developer');<\/code><\/pre>\nSQL UPDATE<\/h3>\n
UPDATE Zamestnanci \nSET Pozicia='Senior Developer' \nWHERE ID=5;<\/code><\/pre>\nSQL DELETE<\/h3>\n
DELETE FROM Zamestnanci \nWHERE ID=5;<\/code><\/pre>\nSQL JOIN<\/h3>\n
SELECT Zamestnanci.Meno, Oddelenia.Nazov \nFROM Zamestnanci \nJOIN Oddelenia \nON Zamestnanci.OddelenieID = Oddelenia.ID;<\/code><\/pre>\nSQL GROUP BY<\/h3>\n
SELECT Pozicia, COUNT(*) \nFROM Zamestnanci \nGROUP BY Pozicia;<\/code><\/pre>\nMicrosoft SQL Server (MS SQL)<\/h2>\n
Basic MS SQL Functions<\/h3>\n
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Versions and Editions<\/h3>\n
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Language support<\/h3>\n
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SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)<\/h2>\n
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What are the benefits for testers?<\/h3>\n
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SQL courses and education<\/h2>\n
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\n Microsoft SQL Server:<\/strong>
\n<\/a> Technical documentation to help you get started, administer, develop, and work with SQL Server and related products.<\/li>\n
\n MySQL<\/strong>
\n<\/a>: Documentation for MySQL that includes a reference guide and release notes for MySQL 8.0.<\/li>\n
\n Oracle <\/strong>
\n SQL Developer<\/strong>
\n<\/a>Description : <\/strong>Documentation for Oracle SQL Developer, a free graphical tool that increases productivity and simplifies database development tasks. With this tool you can browse database objects, run SQL statements and SQL scripts, edit and debug PL\/SQL statements, manipulate and export data, or view and create.<\/li>\n
\n W3Schools SQL Tutorial<\/a>
\n<\/strong>: A tutorial that shows you how to use SQL in various database systems such as MySQL, SQL Server, MS Access, Oracle, Sybase, Informix, Postgres and others.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n