What is a database in SQL - Hands-On Activity

Understanding What a Database Is

📖 Scenario: Imagine you run a small bookstore. You want to keep track of your books, customers, and sales in an organized way. A database helps you store and manage this information easily.

🎯 Goal: You will create a simple table to represent a database storing book information. This will help you understand what a database is and how data is organized inside it.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a table called Books with columns BookID, Title, and Author

Insert three books with exact details into the Books table

Write a query to select all columns from the Books table

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Databases are used everywhere to keep information organized, like in stores, websites, and apps.

💼 Career

Understanding databases is important for jobs in data management, software development, and many tech roles.

1

Create the Books table

Write a SQL statement to create a table called Books with three columns: BookID as an integer primary key, Title as text, and Author as text.

SQL

-- Write the CREATE TABLE statement for Books
-- Your code here

Need a hint?

Use CREATE TABLE followed by the table name and define each column with its data type.

2

Insert book records

Write three SQL INSERT INTO Books statements to add these exact books:
1. BookID: 1, Title: 'The Great Gatsby', Author: 'F. Scott Fitzgerald'
2. BookID: 2, Title: '1984', Author: 'George Orwell'
3. BookID: 3, Title: 'To Kill a Mockingbird', Author: 'Harper Lee'

SQL

CREATE TABLE Books (
  BookID INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  Title TEXT,
  Author TEXT
);
-- Insert the three books below
-- Your code here

Need a hint?

Use INSERT INTO Books (BookID, Title, Author) VALUES (...) for each book.

3

Select all books

Write a SQL query to select all columns from the Books table.

SQL

CREATE TABLE Books (
  BookID INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  Title TEXT,
  Author TEXT
);

INSERT INTO Books (BookID, Title, Author) VALUES (1, 'The Great Gatsby', 'F. Scott Fitzgerald');
INSERT INTO Books (BookID, Title, Author) VALUES (2, '1984', 'George Orwell');
INSERT INTO Books (BookID, Title, Author) VALUES (3, 'To Kill a Mockingbird', 'Harper Lee');

-- Write a SELECT query to get all books
-- Your code here

Need a hint?

Use SELECT * FROM Books; to get all columns and rows.

4

Explain what a database is

Add a SQL comment at the top of your code explaining in simple words what a database is. Use the exact phrase: -- A database is a place to store and organize data so we can find and use it easily.

SQL

-- Add a comment explaining what a database is
-- Your code here

CREATE TABLE Books (
  BookID INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  Title TEXT,
  Author TEXT
);

INSERT INTO Books (BookID, Title, Author) VALUES (1, 'The Great Gatsby', 'F. Scott Fitzgerald');
INSERT INTO Books (BookID, Title, Author) VALUES (2, '1984', 'George Orwell');
INSERT INTO Books (BookID, Title, Author) VALUES (3, 'To Kill a Mockingbird', 'Harper Lee');

SELECT * FROM Books;

Need a hint?

Start your code with a comment using -- and write the exact phrase given.