Learning Journal Week 3 - CST 363

This week I learned about SQL views. A view is kind of like a table, but it doesn’t store the data itself. Instead, it just shows the results of a query. You can use it like a table when doing a SELECT, but the difference is that tables actually hold the data. Tables also have primary keys and you can insert, update, or delete rows. With views you usually can’t do that, or it’s very limited. To me, a view feels like a shortcut to look at data without changing the real table.

Since we finished SQL, I also thought about how it compares to Java. Both have ways to handle conditions. In Java you use if, and in SQL you use WHERE. The SELECT statement is kind of like a return in Java because it decides what comes back. The big difference is that in SQL you just say what you want, and the database figures out how to get it. In Java you have to write out every step. SQL is better for working with data, while Java is better for writing programs. They do different things, but they also connect well together.

This week I also completed Exam 1, Quiz 3, and two labs (Java Heap and SQL Explain). Doing those helped me practice both SQL and Java, and made me more confident with the material.