[ddj] SQL Vs Excel Vs Refine

[Michael Bauer]

SiFu,

Exactly what I thought. Don't forget sqlite! However it's still a command
line thing but it uses a simple file as a backend. Mac OS X comes with
sqlite pre-installed - so there is little barrier of using it there.

Just use sqlite3 <file> and the file will be used as a database - you can
then handle it like any other file (and even send your database to friends,
plug it into an application etc.)

Michael

On Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 07:41:37AM +0200, Siegmund Führinger wrote:
> hi joe!
> 
> don't forget about http://www.sqlite.org/. no server you have to take care
> of. it's just a simple command.
> i use it quite a bit even though i have several postgres and couchdb
> servers.
> 
> SiFu
> 
> 
> On Mon, Apr 29, 2013 at 5:21 PM, Joe Germuska <joe at germuska.com> wrote:
> 
> > I like all of Sharon's answers quite a bit. Especially "it was designed
> > for subsetting, slicing and dicing" and "easier to go back and check my
> > work"
> >
> > But I sometimes wonder: when people ask "should I learn SQL?" aren't they
> > usually asking "is SQL really worth all the arcana of installing MySQL or
> > Postgres?" Unfortunately, it is pretty arcane, although the MAMP/WAMP
> > package seems to be a pretty good way to get going.
> >
> > I'm sure people will chime in with other favorite installers, packages,
> > GUI admin tools and the like, but I'm afraid that the plethora of responses
> > is just going to reinforce for many journalists the basic problem—it can
> > quickly become its own adventure. A great adventure, like learning to cook
> > food from scratch instead of from kits and convenience packages, but an
> > adventure nevertheless…
> >
> > Joe
> >
> >
> >
> > On Apr 29, 2013, at 7:46 AM, SMachlis at computerworld.com wrote:
> >
> > > What I like about SQL:
> > >
> > > = It was *designed* for subsetting, slicing and dicing data. Yes, I can
> > do this to a large degree with Excel and Google Refine; but with a more
> > complex project -- especially as others have pointed out, with data having
> > one or more relationships between multiple tables -- there are times that I
> > find that using a tool designed for the job to be less frustrating and
> > considerably more robust.
> > >
> > > = If I am dealing with a large data set that is already in multiple
> > tables, SQL makes more sense to be than trying to shoehorn that data into
> > an Excel-friendly format.
> > >
> > > = It helps me think about data in a more structured way, which is very
> > useful when I've got projects where I'm collecting and storing my own data.
> > >
> > > = It helps me understand what sorts of data I can and can't reasonably
> > request from government agencies that store their data in structured
> > databases.
> > >
> > > = If I am sharing data with colleagues, sometimes it's useful to be able
> > to put up a simple PHP/MySQL app on our intranet (Rails or Jango might be a
> > better choice for this, but the shared internal server I have access to
> > does not include those platforms). Even if I'm creating a Web application
> > with a third-party service such as Caspio, I find it helpful to be able to
> > think about data in relational terms.
> > >
> > > = Having a series of SQL commands I can store in a file makes it easier
> > for me or others to go back and check my work, versus a series of Excel
> > point-and-click operations (or even multiple macros buried in Excel).
> > >
> > > Sharon Machlis
> > >
> > > ________________________________________
> > > From: data-driven-journalism-bounces at lists.okfn.org [
> > data-driven-journalism-bounces at lists.okfn.org] On Behalf Of Andrew Duffy [
> > andrewjamesduffy at gmail.com]
> > > Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 12:37 AM
> > > To: data-driven-journalism at lists.okfn.org
> > > Subject: [ddj] SQL Vs Excel Vs Refine
> > >
> > > Question:
> > >
> > > Are there any data journalists/devs out there that can advise as to
> > whether it's worth learning SQL? So far a combination of Excel/Google
> > Refine has been more than enough for dumping, organising, and cleaning my
> > data projects, but I have only worked with spreadsheets up to ~500 rows.
> > >
> > > What can SQL do that refine/excel can't?
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > Andrew Duffy - Journalist
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > > data-driven-journalism at lists.okfn.org
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> > > Unsubscribe:
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> >
> > --
> > Joe Germuska
> > Joe at Germuska.com * http://blog.germuska.com *
> > http://twitter.com/JoeGermuska
> >
> > "Science's job is to map our ignorance." --David Byrne
> >
> >
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> > Unsubscribe: http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/options/data-driven-journalism
> >

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