When I first learned SQL, I kept trying to write it like a for loop. "First do this, then do that, then return the result."
It didn't work. SQL isn't procedural. It's declarative.
Here's the shift: instead of describing steps, you describe the result you want.
Python for loop:
results = []
for customer in customers:
if customer['is_premium']:
results.append(customer['name'])
Python list comprehension (getting closer):
[c['name'] for c in customers if c['is_premium']]
SQL:
SELECT name FROM customers WHERE is_premium = true
Same logic. Same structure. If you can read a list comprehension, you can read SQL.
This week's post explores this mental model with a spreadsheet analogy and explains why SQL works this way.
Next week: we start writing real queries with the FROM clause.
-Jamal