[AccessD] SQL server learning

Thanks Arthur,

Appreciate you sharing your experience and tips here.
I got into the habit of using MS Access GUI query builder mainly as most of the SQL Server work I have done has involved moving an existing MS Access database(s) to SQL Server.

I found it was easy to just copy the SQL code in the Access queries and save them as views in SSMS.

I would also change a lot of the processes into Sprocs - I was happy to do them 'one at a time' mainly as it was a good learning experience.

These days I would been keen to look at some of the tools you suggested.

It is early days for me in SQL Server - I have used it for years on and off, but not very 'deeply' and only in low volume enclosed environments.

Cheers
Darryl.

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Arthur Fuller
Sent: Monday, 30 June 2014 8:01 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: Re: [AccessD] SQL server learning

You can download all the basics free (the Express versions) from Microsoft.
They don't handle large databases or datasets but other than that they give you everything you'll need to learn.

I consider myself a SQL expert but it took years to arrive there. A previous poster suggested using the Access Query Builder to learn. I disagree, for two reasons: a) Access has a bunch of "features" that are not portable to other versions of SQL; b) Access restricts you to one relationship diagram, which is fine for small databases but totally impractical for rich databases (oh, I need to introduce a couple of terms here -- Large and Rich. Large databases contain relatively few tables but millions of rows in the principal tables. Rich databases contain many tables with relatively few rows in them. I have worked on several projects of the Rich variety -- 500 tables or so. In those cases, the Access relationships modeller is woefully inadequate, whereas SSMS is fully up to the challenge, since it enables you to create numerous relationship diagrams, each devoted to a particular subset of the tables in the database.

Another thing worth considering is the cost of MS SQL; Your potential
employer(s) have already bitten the bullet, and you can learn everything you need to know using the express editions, but MS SQL is not the only player in town, and it also has "features" that do not conform to the standard. Also, there are numerous potential clients, such as non-profits, that genuinely need an RDMS but cannot afford MS SQL, and in these cases MySQL and MariaDB are excellent alternatives. Both are downloadable for free.

Finally, learning SQL is much simpler than learning another human language.
I'm trying to learn Mandarin, and believe me, it's way more difficult than learning SQL. In SQL there are only about 12 statements and some predicates such as the WHERE clauses, which can get tricky, admittedly. But after wrestling a few pigs to the ground, you'll quickly find that large pigs fall almost as easily as piglets.

I would be remiss without mentioning a couple of splendid and free tools available from Bullzip -- MS Access to MSSQL and MS Access to MySQL. These tools enable you to migrate an Access database to their respective targets, and handle all the mismatches (such as Yes/No fields to Boolean columns). I do a lot of work for non-profits and the Bullzip tools have served me very well. To grab their stuff, visit http://www.bullzip.com/download.php.

Arthur
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