This is the cheapest, easiest, least stressful intro to RDBMSes and SQL that you will ever experience!

This friendly, two-hour class will introduce you to the Structured Query Language used in relational databases like Postgres, MySQL, MS SQL, Oracle, and so on. Our examples will focus on MySQL, since it's the most common entry-level database, especially for independent developers. However, the concepts you learn in this class will help you regardless of which system you choose.

We'll be going over:

·      What databases are, how they differ from, say, a spreadsheet or a flat file.

·      What relational databases are, how they differ from, say, a triplestore

·      How to construct and query a relational database

·      How to write really bad-ass queries. You will be the king of the right outer join at the end of this. (And understand why you never need to use it.)

Bring a laptop with you to get some hands-on experience! (Laptops are not required)

Your $10 donation helps to support Alpha One Labs, a new, radically inclusive hackerspace. Memberships are still available; please ask us for details or check out our webpage.

Your teacher is Nada O'Neal, Alpha One Labs member and sysadmin. She's used RDBMses for nearly a decade and loves, loves, loves left joins.