Venturing into the unknown with SQL, braving the uncharted waters.


I want to help out with an on-going project that aims to aggerate data from different databases, such as, BacDrive and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), into one searchable dashboard that will output data in a visual way. For instance, a user can use the dashboard to search for a particular organism of interest, and receive a list of information on said organism. They would be able to see what the organism eats, their lifecycle, unique features, optimal temperatures for growth, etc., all in a very readable, concise manner. Currently one has to search a myriad of databases, and read multiple research papers to find the bits of information needed for organisms that are not of primary study. Once completed the dashboard will be limited to the bacteria being researched at the current lab, but the applications of such a program have vast potential exponentially. In order to prepare for this formidable task I must first learn the basics of how to talk to a database, enter SQL stage left. 

    Codeacademy has a free beginners tutorial on SQL that adds in the benefit of hands-on projects. So far, I have been able to grasp some of the basics and have completed several tasks as part of the tutorial. Here is a summary of my progress and newfound knowledge. 
    
    Firstly, SQL (Structured Query Language) plays a big part data science as it can be beneficial for data analysis and exploration in terms of, say, finding trends and/or patterns. What is crucial about SQL in terms of the project for this semester is that fulfils some of the needs for the dashboard. SQL can take existing data and reshape it so it can be data so that it is able to be analyzed, and provides a method from which data can be visualized. While SQL is a language, there are principles that it embodies that apply to various types of data storage systems.  


I learned how to create a table by setting parameters defining each column with a name/attribute and data type (e.g., INTEGER or TEXT).  





Then I was able to insert new data into my table.

And I could then see my new data 
table that I created:


I will be continuing with my progress through the tutorial in the following week and applying the new techniques I learned to the table I created.



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