Introduction to SQL and Version Control with Git

Description

This tutorial is intended as an introduction to two powerful tools for software development: SQL databases and version control.

Relational databases are a fantastic tool for storing, organizing, and aggregating data. The majority of databases in use today utilize SQL as a language with which to interact with and manage data. During the morning session, we will cover the basics of using SQL to create and manage databases using SQLite, a lightweight and cross-platform database engine. Additionally, we will cover how to use R and Python to interact with data stored in a SQLite database.

Version control is a method of intelligently managing code for any project, enabling programmers to collaborate, keep track of changes, track down bugs, and maintain multiple versions/backups of their software. During the afternoon tutorial, students will learn the basics of version control using Git, as well as how to host and collaborate on your coding projects with online services like GitHub and Bitbucket.

Instructor: Jeff Stafford - Centre for Advanced Computing, Queen's University

Prerequisites: No programming experience required, although experience with the command line is a plus.

Required Software:

Git

sqlite3 - If on Windows or OSX, simply download the "bundle of command-line tools for managing SQLite database files" for your platform from sqlite site. Linux systems come with sqlite3 pre-installed.