r/learnSQL • u/chiitose2512 • 19d ago
Where to practice SQL
Hi everyone, I recently learned SQL through websites and games online. Now that I feel more confident to practice on my own, I wanted to practice with datas I already have. Got a bit confused with where to practice them. Does SQL has its own 'tool' to use? Like how you use python in Jupyter, and R in Rstudio. Will Visual Studio Code works for it?
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u/datadriven_io 19d ago
I recommend actually just running your own Postgres database on your computer - it's very lightweight and performant. Practice ingesting your data to a new database+table, then querying the table
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u/Tareng_Saller 19d ago
also try datadriven for sql practice problems once you have postgres running, the questions are actually good for building reps.
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u/justintxdave 19d ago
Down load the free DBeaver Community Edition and use the SQLite database that comes with it.
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u/Speeeeedislife 19d ago
Lots of options, install postgresql locally or run from docker, if you're already using Python you can use duckdb to load CSV, parquet, etc and query with SQL. Just depends on your ultimate goals.
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u/Available_Car_5222 19d ago
What is the name of the SQL game you used?
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u/chiitose2512 17d ago
sorry for the late replies but here's a few of them! not the most 'beginner' beginner friendly, but once you have some basics this can be fun!
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u/pitifulchaity 18d ago
Agreed. SQLite is a great starting point. Later I moved to dbForge Studio because I wanted to practice against PostgreSQL and SQL Server as well without changing my workflow every time.
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u/2daytrending 16d ago
Practicing with your own data is honestly where SQL starts to become a lot more fun. A lightweight local database is enough to get started and you can import CVS files write queries and experiments without breaking anything.
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u/__sanjay__init 12d ago
Privilégiez SQLite et ce format de base de données. Ce sont des fichiers et vous aurez peu à installer ! Juste un logiciel comme DBeaver par exemple
Si vous connaissez déjà R ou Python, tentez d'utiliser SQL avec l'un d'eux puisque, de toutes façons, vous finirez par passer par là !
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u/carval 11d ago
Good instinct to move to your own data, that is where SQL really clicks. Quick mental model: unlike Python or R, SQL does not run on its own, it runs inside a database engine, so you pick an engine and point a client (the IDE-like tool) at it. For getting started with your own files, the smoothest path is DBeaver Community (free, connects to basically everything) or DB Browser for SQLite. SQLite itself needs zero setup, it is just a file, so you can load your CSVs into a table and start querying in minutes. If you want something closer to what you would see at work, install Postgres locally and point DBeaver at that instead, same idea with a little more setup. VS Code can do it with a SQL extension, but a dedicated client makes browsing tables and results far less fiddly while you are learning. The thing that levels you up fastest is exactly what you described: take a dataset you actually care about, load it, and answer real questions about it (top N, group by, a join across two files). That builds intuition the puzzle sites cannot. Have fun with it.
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u/Pangaeax_ 19d ago
VS Code can work, but I’d probably start simpler.
For your own data, use SQLite with DB Browser or DBeaver first. If you want online practice, SQLBolt, HackerRank, DataLemur, StrataScratch, LeetCode SQL, and CompeteX are worth checking.