Hire SQL Developers

Databases are the heart of your business. After all, without databases, you would have no data. And without data, your company would struggle to remain competitive in an ever-growing world.

Databases come in all shapes and sizes. And although NoSQL databases have become the de facto standard for companies that rely on large amounts of data, the relational database is still a crucial component. Even though there are many GUI tools available for managing the various relational databases (such as phpMyAdmin), the best method of working with these databases is the command-line Structured Query Language (SQL).

SQL (pronounced “sequel”) was developed by Donald D. Chamberlain and Raymond F. Boyce at IBM. The initial release was in 1986 and since then the language has become the standard for relational database management. SQL can work with databases like:

• MySQL
• Maria DB
• Oracle
• Sybase
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Access
• Prohibited
• PostgreSQL

SQL is so prevalent that it would be difficult to successfully manage a corporate database without it. But SQL is not a language easily learned by the average user. In fact, many consider SQL to be a very specialized language, so database administrator is a very specific job. To become a successful database administrator, you must learn the SQL query language.

Hiring Guide

One thing to keep in mind about database administration is that this work cannot exist in a silo. At one time this may have been the case, but as many types of applications (such as web and mobile applications) now rely on databases, it has become imperative that database administrators be able to collaborate with developers and designers. And in some cases, developers must also be familiar with many of the SQL queries, otherwise they would not be able to integrate their applications with databases.

Because of this, your company will probably have to rethink the way it searches for and hires database administrators. This is especially true if you want to grow your business with web or mobile applications that rely on databases to function. To do this, you'll want to hire developers who are not only solid with the programming language of your choice (like Java, JavaScript, .NET, PHP, Python, Ruby, and C++), but also SQL.

When these developers have the skills to run SQL queries, they are better able to troubleshoot and debug problems between their applications and the databases those applications depend on.

And considering that one of the most popular mobile app databases is SQLite, which also uses SQL, it's in your best interest to hire developers who have (at least) a fundamental understanding of the SQL query language. In fact, without this knowledge, these developers would struggle.

The good news is that most engineers generally have a solid understanding of SQL. And you shouldn't worry about finding a software engineer who has database administrator-level knowledge of SQL. For this, you also want to hire a real database administrator. Both ways will have SQL covered very well.

Whether these developers have fundamental or expert-level knowledge of SQL, it is undoubtedly a language your company should invest in. But if you hire a developer with only a cursory knowledge of SQL, you need to make sure they hone those skills quickly. Considering how many applications rely on databases, there is no way around this requirement.

Interview Questions

What does DBMS mean?

DBMS stands for Database Management System.

What is SQL?

SQL stands for Structured Query Language and is the tool used to query and manage relational databases.

What are tables and fields?

A table is an organized collection of data, made up of rows and columns. Fields are the columns of a table.

What are the 7 constraints in SQL?

• NOT NULL
• TO CHECK
• STANDARD
• EXCLUSIVE
• INDEX
• PRIMARY KEY
• FOREIGN KEY

What is a primary key?

The primary key identifies each row in a table and must contain UNIQUE values ​​and have an implicit NOT NULL constraint.

What is the UNIQUE constraint?

The UNIQUE constraint ensures that all values ​​in a column are different.

What is a FOREIGN key?

A FOREIGN KEY is a single field or a collection of fields that refer to the PRIMARY KEY in another table.

What is an association?

A join is used to combine records from 2 or more tables in an SQL database based on a related column between the two tables.

What is an index?

An index is a data structure that provides quick searches of data across table columns.

What is data integrity?

Data integrity is the guarantee of data accuracy and consistency throughout the entire lifecycle of a database.

Job description

We are looking for a developer familiar with the SQL query language to analyze, design and support applications that require database integration. Your work will include developing SQL databases and creating applications that interface with those databases.

The ideal candidate will be fluent in the basic and more complex queries available with SQL. You may be required to work with multiple databases, so a solid understanding of these platforms will be helpful.

Responsibilities

• Develop high-quality database solutions for use in web, mobile, and desktop applications.
• Create, implement, and optimize stored procedures and functions using T-SQL.
• Review and interpret ongoing business reporting requirements.
• Data required for research.
• Create appropriate and useful reporting results.
• Analyze existing SQL queries for performance improvements.
• Suggest new queries.
• Develop procedures and scripts for data migration.
• Provide timely scheduled management reports.
• Investigate exceptions regarding asset movements.
• Integrate user-facing elements developed by front-end developers with server-side logic.
• Write reusable, testable, and efficient code.
• Design and deploy low-latency, high-availability, and performance applications.
• Implement security and data protection.
• Integrate data storage solutions.

Skills and qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience with SQL and database administration.
• Solid knowledge of more than one relational database.
• Excellent language skills you were hired to develop.
• Understanding the principles behind scalable applications.
• Fundamental understanding of version control systems (such as Git).
• Solid problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Good organizational skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Attention to the details.
• Understand the nature of asynchronous programming and its peculiarities and workarounds
• A positive attitude.

Conclusion

If your company has plans to launch web or mobile applications, you will need developers who understand SQL and probably a database administrator to serve as the team's expert. Without data, the software you depend on (or distribute to clients and/or customers) will not have modern functionality. Because of this, SQL should be considered a necessity.