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Best database tool to learn

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What is the number one database tool to learn: Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, Sybase (Transact SQL)?

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Your list is databases not tools

In reply to Best database tool to learn

If you want to learn a database, start by reading up on them. Oracle and DB2 have some tools but these are usually 3rd party. SQL Server with T-SQL is all Microsoft. It comes with QueryAnalyzer which is similar, but not exactly like, Toad and SQLNavigator.

Toad is sold for both Oracle and DB2, though you don’t want to use it in a DB2 environment with Querypatroller. Apparently it can hang up the system.

Oracle you can learn by going to their website and look up their poducts. My suggestion still holds though, if you want to learn it, start with the books, then see about getting pre-release software for playing with. It is sometimes cheaper. You could also take classes.

Oracle or DB2

In reply to Best database tool to learn

Based on marketshare: [b]Oracle[/b]
Based on marketshare growth: [b]SQL Server[/b]
Based on Open source: [b]MySQL[/b]
Based on Job prospects: [b]You have to research in your geographical area [/b]
Just for learning: [b]anything should be fine[/b]

Open source databases have been making good growth and were quite popular in 2005 (source: Gartner).

In large enterprises, they usually have the top 3 SQL products. DB2 is usually on the mainframes, Oracle on the UNIX and SQL Server on the Windows platform. The enterprises have large number of systems that use varied databases. And groups within an enterprise have their prefernces and also architecture would support multiple systems.

In my experience large systems are supported by Oracle and DB2. SQL Server has been at the departmental levels and small-medium size companies. But I have [b]heard or read[/b] that this is changing and SQL Server is supporting some large enterprises too.

One thing you might want to think about learning DB2 is to find if companies hire DB2 programmers/DBAs will little or no experience. Most of the people who work in that area are usually well established inside a company and do not change jobs. And I have seen data being migrated slowly from DB2 to Oracle. So you need to keep that in mind.

If you are planning to work on low cost systems, or websites then MySQL has been very popular. I have’nt worked on it, so can not offer my opinion on the product per se.

But when learning any of the major Database system, ensure you learn to distinguish between ANSI SQL and proprietary enhancements (PL/SQL, T-SQL…).

depends on what you want to do

In reply to Best database tool to learn

Are you trying to be a DBA? If so, you need to look at your market.

Otherwise, unless you can do advanced SQL queries already, focus on the core SQL and don’t worry about the DBMS it runs on. Learn how to get to the metadata in any DBMS you get your hands on. Get good with outer joins. Write a query that requires you to use HAVING.

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