SQL

From Data Frustration to Data Transformation: A Success Story

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Learn to convert data into information into knowledge into wisdom at Intellisoft Systems Singapore

The Challenge of Having Too Much Data & Too Little Time

In today’s data-driven business landscape, the ability to extract meaningful insights from vast amounts of information is crucial. The amount of data that is coming is too fast, and there is hardly any time to analyze it.Learn to convert data into information into knowledge into wisdom at Intellisoft Systems Singapore

This challenge is faced by too many people… But there is light at the end of this black hole of data… See how our heroine, Amanda Lee managed to solve this challenge.

We take you on a captivating journey with Amanda, an employee who faced a daunting challenge: analyzing complex data from SAP.

Her determination, resourcefulness, and expertise in SQL, Excel, and Power BI led her to become a valued data analyst within her organization.

Let’s delve into the Case Study of Amanda and explore the transformative power of these tools, and how Amanda managed to survive the day and thrive…

The SAP Data Conundrum:

Amanda, a dedicated employee known for her analytical skills, was tasked by her manager to analyze data from SAP, the company’s backbone for managing vital business information.

The data was available in multiple places in some standard reports, and some custom reports.Data in multiple silos can be combined with Power BI, SQL, Python. Learn how to do this at Intellisoft Courses in Singapore.

But the manager wanted a perfect report, and it was difficult to make sense of the whole, big picture from multiple sections.

So Amanda was tasked to take this challenge and make it work.

The challenge lay in finding a single report that provided a comprehensive overview of the required data. Undeterred, Amanda set out to conquer this data conundrum.

Exploring Standard Reports:

Amanda embarked on a meticulous exploration of SAP’s standard reports, hoping to find the perfect report or a solution.

She dedicated countless hours to examining various reports, seeking the elusive comprehensive data set.

However, despite her best efforts, none of the reports met the boss’s requirements.

Exporting and Excel Limitations:

Not one to give up easily, Amanda decided to export the data from SAP Reports into Excel, believing it would allow her to manage and analyze the information more effectively.

To her dismay, the exported data turned out to be massive, exceeding the limits of Excel’s capabilities. It became evident that relying solely on Excel would not suffice to solve this complex data puzzle.

Plus, loading multiple huge report files, and other Master data files at the same time caused her computer to crash often.

Excel and the Power of VLOOKUP:

Determined to find a solution, Amanda delved deeper into Excel’s functionalities and discovered the power of VLOOKUP.

She realized that by merging data from multiple sources, she could create a more comprehensive dataset. This process, however, proved to be laborious and error-prone, requiring significant time and effort to align the data properly.

Excel VLookup Sample
Excel VLookup Sample

Learning VLOOKUP is one thing, and applying it to lookup multiple codes & descriptions from multiple sheets and multiple Excel files was too cumbersome and slow.

Discovering SQL:

Driven by her desire for efficiency, Amanda set out on a quest to find a more robust solution. She began exploring the world of databases and stumbled upon SQL (Structured Query Language).

Recognizing its potential in handling large datasets and performing complex queries, Amanda dedicated to mastering SQL language.

Learn SQL to query any database quickly in Singapore
Introduction to SQL training in Singapore. Learn to query any database with SQL quickly in 2 days at Intellisoft

Learning SQL helped in picking the right data directly from transactional tables in SAP’s Oracle Database by joining several table and writing efficient SQL queries.

The SQL Solution:

Armed with SQL knowledge, Amanda devised a strategy to extract the required data needed from the corporate SAP database.

With a single SQL query, the query effortlessly pulled out the required information, bypassing the arduous process of manual data manipulation.

Amanda’s achievement in harnessing the power of SQL marked a significant turning point in her quest for analytical excellence.

Excel Dashboards and Visualizations:

With the right data finally at her disposal, Amanda exported it back into Excel, now equipped with the necessary insights.

She utilized Excel Dashboards to create various analyses and visualizations, bringing the data to life in a meaningful and impactful way.

The management was astounded by the depth of insights provided by these visualizations, realizing the untapped potential of data analysis.

Introducing Power BI:

The success achieved with Excel Dashboards paved the way for an even more remarkable transformation. Amanda was introduced to Power BI, a powerful business intelligence tool, by the Corporate HQ of the company.

She was spellbound by the dynamic, beautiful, amazing analysis capabilities of Power BI.

She began to migrate the entire solution from Excel to Power BI, creating interactive dashboards and reports that enabled the entire organization to access and explore the latest data analysis  effortlessly, from any device, without waiting for manual data refreshes and month end jobs to complete running.

Becoming the Data Analysis Expert:

Amanda’s expertise in SQL, Excel, and Power BI elevated her to a coveted position within the company.

She became the go-to analyst for senior management, constantly engaging in discussions and providing innovative solutions to analyze and visualize information for the leadership team.

Her journey from an individual contributor to a key player in shaping data-driven decisions exemplified the transformative power of mastering these tools.

Conclusion:

The story of Amanda’s journey from grappling with SAP’s data challenges to becoming an indispensable data analysis expert is a testament to the incredible possibilities offered by SQL, Excel, and Power BI.

By harnessing the power of these tools, individuals can unlock the true potential of data, transform their organizations, and become drivers of analytical excellence in the ever-evolving business landscape.

What Challenge Are You Facing?

Are you facing similar challenges? Or do you have other data challenges?

Do let us know. Our experienced training coordinators can assist you in understanding your data challenges and then guide you with an appropriate course to choose from.

This can help you get started in the right way, and not face the challenges that Amanda faced.

Cheers,

Vinai Prakash, Founder & Principal Trainer, Intellisoft Systems

Recommended Reading:

What is Your Next Step After Learning Excel?

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What is Your Next Step after Learning Advanced Excel?

What is Your Next Step After Learning Excel?

Wondering what to pursue after learning Excel? Let us find the answer. Before that, let’s first read a quick short story.

Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant. The pay was good and so were the working conditions. So, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he would work.

The first day, the woodcutter felled 18 trees.

“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!”

Motivated by the boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring down 15 trees. However, the third day he tried even harder, but he could only manage 10 trees. Day after day, he finished with fewer trees.

“I must be losing my strength,” the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he is week and could not understand what was going on too.

“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.

“Sharpen? But I’ve had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been so busy trying to cut trees….”

This story states that equipping yourself shouldn’t ceases & sharpening the tool set & keep you updated is the only way to a long term success.

Now, why are we reading to this story?

Let me jump to the point directly.

The world is fast paced. So, we need to have the required tools ready & sharp for use. 

It is almost impossible to find work that does not require some amount of Excel. Having the right skills for using and applying Excel for Simple or Advanced tasks is a must.

Microsoft Excel is one of the most valuable skill sets that can take you far!

However, most of you already know & use Microsoft Excel quite well. Really glad to know that. Still, sometimes even experienced Excel experts miss out on the best features of Excel that seem to be hidden.

Is it Sufficient to know Excel well to prove yourself in this competitive world?

Are you ready for the Future?

Learning never ceases and you should keep updating you to keep you in par with the emerging industry and not becoming outdated.

You should grab other Skill set after finishing Microsoft Advanced Excel to keep growing in the Job Industry.

AVAILABLE OPTIONS AFTER MASTERING MICROSOFT EXCEL

Let us discuss the variety of options available in front of you to pursue using the Advanced Microsoft Excel Skills that open you up to various career prospects in addition to career growth.

  1. ATTEND SQL WORKSHOP:

I am an Excel Expert. How do I get into Data Analysis?

I am an Analyst. But I always stand at the mercy of IT peers to query my Data!

Are you relating to these situations?

Let’s talk about the first step you can take to resolve this.

Analysis comes into play only after you have the set of relevant information in your hand that are clean as well.

When you yourself can query data from the relational Database system & reorganize, then certainly you are independent, and you can control your own productivity & efficiency.

Learning the right tool to collect & organize your data can be a savior. If you don’t know what is SQL & Why should you learn it, get yourself acquainted first.

Learn SQL to query any databse at Intellisoft Singapore
Learn SQL to query any Database at Intellisoft Singapore

SQL could be the priority as it is an easy to learn, straight-forward programming language. It is a simple but popular program for Data Management.

Administering, updating, maintaining, and manipulating the database is easy with SQL.

With SQL you can – retrieve, analyze and report information quickly and efficiently.

Wondering How to Learn SQL Fast?

Grab SQL Skills today to be an independent analyst otherwise make a new career as Data Analyst, Database Administrator, Data Scientists or even Data Architect at Intellisoft Singapore.

  1. Join Excel VBA (Macro) Course:

I am an Excel expert. Do I only get to learn the skills that are into Data Analysis?

Well definitely not. As we have already discussed Excel is a program that is used in all the fields in which the Data Analysis is just a new popular.

Excel could be enhanced with further skill sets and utilized in various tasks as well.

One such skill set that is highly useful for people into leadership, or managerial position to review the work or report, or even for someone who is into repeating the functions, formulas, or a set of same steps dozens of times every day.

There is a boon to such people – Macros in Excel.

You can write & record macros for simple to complex steps that you accomplish every day. In addition to that, Macro Code runs much faster and save a huge amount of time, which in turn will increase productivity.

After all, you don’t get bored of what you are doing every day.

Learn to Automate repeated Steps with VBA at Intellisoft Singapore
Learn to Automate repeated Steps with VBA at Intellisoft Singapore

Looking to learn VBA (Macros) faster?

Join an Excel VBA (Macro) training at Intellisoft Singapore today to Learn practical ways to automate tasks & build a better workflow with VBA Macros and automation in your work.

  1. Data Interpretation & Analysis with Excel:

Data Analysis is a cool and exciting career to get into. When you already are aware of the Excel tool kit, now it’s time to learn the Techniques of Analyzing Data with Excel.

Data Analysis is a process of using logic & statistics to answer some of the business questions which consequently leads to decision-making.

You can learn to understand data and forecasting based on different criteria.

Charts & Modelling can be made using the Excel Features.

Correlation & regression techniques can be used to Analyze Data with different variables.

Data Interpretation & Analysis with Excel Training at Intellisoft Singapore
Data Interpretation & Analysis with Excel Training at Intellisoft Singapore

Above all, It is wise to grab the techniques of using the tool effectively, when you are an Excel Expert Already!

Wondering why you should learn Data Analysis? Check out the top 5 Cool Career Options that rely on Data Analysis

Also Join Intellisoft now to Grab Data Analysis Skills fast.

  1. Create Interactive Management Reports & Dashboards with Excel:

A Dashboard is the dynamic reporting technique used in business data reporting.

If you can present a huge amount of critical data in a Visually Appealing, Dynamic & Interactive Chart in Excel, apparently the decisions are made faster & you are the star of the boardroom already!

Visually Appealing, Dynamic & Interactive Report in Excel
Visually Appealing, Dynamic & Interactive Report with Excel Dashboard at Intellisoft Singapore

Why wasting time, learn Excel Dashboard & report metrics that matter!

Well, I hope that you now have a clear idea of  What can you do after learning Advanced Microsoft Excel!

Take a breath! Make time out of your calendar to learn the essential skills that matter!

Best of Luck!

Cheers,
Lavanya
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What is SQL & Why You Should Learn It

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Learn SQL to query any database quickly in Singapore
SQL training in Singapore
SQL training in Singapore

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It is the language used to interact with any RDBMS (Relational Database Management System) like Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL.

Attending a SQL training course will teach you how to query SQL databases, step by step. The most common types of requests are where you want to pick out some rows or records from a database table. You want to analyze data yourself.

To extract the data from any database, we can write a SELECT query, to extract that data from the table within the database.

A single table SQL query is pretty easy to write. It almost reads like English. You can qualify which columns you want, and what you want to filter out, based on your criteria.

Once you execute the query, the results from the database are picked up and displayed almost instantly. Retrieval of SQL data from a database is usually extremely fast.

A multiple-table SQL query requires you to understand the relationships between the different tables within the database, the primary key and secondary keys of the various tables, and then carefully do the joining of the common fields between the different tables.

Learn SQL to query any database quickly in Singapore
Introduction to SQL course in Singapore. Learn to query any database with SQL quickly in 2 days at Intellisoft Systems Singapore.

Once the common fields are linked between the tables, a data model is created. The common fields help to essentially create a long flat row, where you can pick any columns (or field) from any table in the combined row. This is the power of SQL. It is the reason almost everyone wants to learn SQL.

Multiple table queries are more useful, and they are similar to writing multiple VLOOKUPs in Excel to get to the Master & Transaction data in a single row.

Writing Multiple table SQL queries is where most people get stuck… because of the various ways to join – right join, left join, inner join, outer join etc.

This is where attending a SQL Training Course comes in handy. By joining a short 2 day SQL workshop, you can understand the fundamentals of SQL.

You will be able to do use these SQL Commands after attending a SQL workshop in Singapore:

  • How to insert data into a database table with the SQL INSERT statement,
  • how to delete records from any table by writing a SQL DELETE statement.
  • how to modify any data in any table within the SQL Database using the UPDATE statemet,
  • how to retrieve any number of columns from a single or multiple related tables, based on any selection criteria, with the SELECT SQL Statement.

If you can attend a classroom training course for SQL, I would seriously recommend it. The reason is that in a Classroom SQL Course, you can ask questions on the spot, and there is an expert SQL trainer to assist you too.

Check out our SQL Training Course in Singapore for Classroom Training

In our most popular SQL course in Singapore, we cover SQL statements like SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE TABLE, CREATE INDEX, CREATE VIEW, DROP, JOINS, and much more.

SQL is a very standard language, simple & business-like. It is like talking to someone in English. Pretty simple & straightforward. And it does not feel like learning a new language. It is pretty intuitive and easy to learn. A two day SQL workshop is more than sufficient to get you going on your journey to pick any data from your corporate databases.

A standard SQL based on the American National Standards Institute ANSI is best because you can then apply the standard SQL on any ANSI Relational Database.

The version of SQL is not really important, as most modern SQL database systems are up to date with the latest ANSI standards.

What is SQL & Why You Should Learn SQL

Click & Find Why You Should Learn SQL

3 Reasons Why You Should Learn SQL

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SQL training at Intellisoft, Singapore

stand-out-from-the-crowd

Whether you work in Business, Finance, IT, Services, Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, R&D or any other domain, it is important for you to learn SQL.

You may be wondering – What the heck is SQL? Why should I learn it

WHAT IS SQL?

Well, SQL stands for Structured Query Language (pronounced as SEQUEL).

SQL is the most common language used in all RDBMS (Relational Databases). SQL is a simple, standard query language used is the world’s largest to the world’s most popular databases.

introduction to SQL

It is the base of Microsoft Access, Oracle, SQL server, MySQL, MariaDB, and a host of other relational databases.

Whether you work on Enterprise systems like SAP, PeopleSoft, JDEdwards, or Financial Accounting Software, or Analyzing Google Analytics Data, you can easily use SQL, and you must use it to gain power and full control over your data.

SQL is used to Select data from a database. It can also be used to Insert, Update or Delete data. These 4 operations are the main uses of SQL – it can be used to add data to a database, change it, delete it, or select it for analysis & reporting.

WHY LEARN SQL?

Create Your Own View of Data

Using SQL, you are no longer at the mercy of the IT programmers to extract certain reports for you. You also do not have to be satisfied with the run of the mill standard reports coming out of the systems.

Most systems provide basic transnational reports, but when you want to go beyond, customize them or tweak them, you realize that it is simply not possible. Or you may to have to go through a long process of Change Ticket creation, justify your request, get approval, and then wait for IT to develop it… which may easily take 6 months to a year at the very least.

The problem is that you simply can’t wait to get your hands on the raw data, to make business decisions today, not 1 year later.

Simple to use

SQL is extremely simple to use. Most people can get started on using SQL within an hour, and be able to extract basic data within minutes of learning it. SQL Is easy to understand for business and IT folks. You do not have to be a full-time programmer or a hard core IT geek to understand it.Students Learning SQL at Intellisoft

We have taught SQL to complete newbies, business owners, financial analysts, sales staff, service engineers, even hospital counter staff to use SQL within a short time, and be able to service ad-hoc customer requests within minutes.

Business Analysts & all other employee can benefit from a solid foundation & understanding of SQL.

Point & Click GUI Interfaces

Further, today, there are several excellent Front End GUI interfaces, that eliminate the need to write complex queries. Once the data model and table joins are created, and simplified views exist, you will be able to begin exploring the power of SQL. You will begin to feel awesome as you’ll be able to extract any data, analyze data easily, and even pull data into Microsoft Excel for later, further analysis.

Once the data is extracted from the Enterprise systems, you generally use Excel pivot tables, Excel Dashboards and Formulas, Functions to group the data, tabulate it, summarize it and find the hidden gems of insight in your data.

High Paying Jobs for SQL Developers

Once you learn SQL, you can work as a SQL Developer. Such jobs pay much higher salaries. According to a salary survey on Indeed.com, an average SQL Developer gets USD92,000 per year. Compare that to the average US Household salary of USD52,000 per year. You are earning almost double of the national average, as a SQL Developer.

This can lead to a much higher standard of living and earn you more prestige and power in the corporate world. Such jobs are also more secure and are less prone to recession blues.

 


Learn SQL At The Earliest

With so many benefits, chances to increase your salary significantly, and being the owner of your own data gives you great power, maximum opportunities and flexibility.

Join the Intellisoft 2 Day Introduction To SQL class, and begin to take your career to the next level. Classes for groups of 15 or more can be scheduled for your company only, as a Corporate Training on SQL too. Contact us at +65-6250-3575 for more information.

Written By: Vinai Prakash

This article is written by Vinai Prakash, SQL Expert &  an IT veteran with over 30+ years of experience in data analyses, business intelligence, data warehousing, project management & in running several successful businesses. Vinai consults with small and large companies in selecting and implementing business intelligence and database solutions. He also teaches the SQL, Python & PHP courses at Intellisoft. Vinai is an SQL Expert & Excel guru, and is highly sought after consultant and trainer. Contact Vinai for your next training!

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