Holly Stone

Well we are nearing the end of the first half of Web Developer Bootcamp. I wish I could say that disturbing code related nightmares have subsided, but I will concede that they are much more manageable now. Last night I dream that I was at the library and ran across a 2,000 page book on Psequel. I was quite excited about this but a little intimidated at the same time. This week in bootcamp, we have spent a majority of the time learning about databases and how to interact with them using html and php.

We utilized two applications to learn about databases. First, we looked at Postgres and how to create a database and link it to a port with a password to initialize this. Next, we went to Psequel to interact with the database and use commands to edit the database with different tables. We created tables, dropped tables (not on the floor!), manipulated data inside of the table, joined tables and pivoted them. Who knew that tables were so versatile?

I really enjoyed learning about how data is structured and placed into the table as this is a vital step in ensuring that the data is stored and pulled correctly for the user. I’m sure it would be a gigantic headache if a column was supposed to hold integers and ended up holding a string of up to 200 characters. By learning the different data types and how to properly assign data to a data type, you will ensure that your data is being accessed correctly and can be used for the functions you want to complete.

I am looking forward to learning more about database structures and different ways you can interact and manipulate the data to get the desired results. Maybe I should follow last night’s dream and go find a book to learn more?