Learning guide: Python + SQLAlchemy, half-day workshop

Analytics tools are best thought of as a “stack,” so that each slice is seen in context with the others. The most exciting analytics products span multiple slices, combining the advantages of each.

Using SQLAlchemy inside Python is such a case. This open-source tool allows you to interact with relational databases from inside Python. As such, SQLAlchemy crosses two slices of the analytics stack: databases and programming languages.

As the name implies, SQLAlchemy is based on the tenets of SQL, the traditional language for interacting with relational databases. The “Alchemy” is that by adding Python to the mix, magic happens.

Not only is it incredibly useful to pull information from databases into Python objects, the Python language adds versatility to traditional SQL querying.

Take a look at the below half-day workshop as a way to get started with this popular Python package. By the end of the workshop, learners will be able to build an end-to-end data pipeline, from a relational database for data storage and integrity to a pandas DataFrame for data analysis and visualization.

Download the learning guide here.Download

Lesson 1: Combining the powers of SQL & Python

Objective: Student can compare and contrast the uses of Python and SQL for data analysis

Description:

Databases versus scripting languages
Declarative versus procedural languages
Object-oriented programming

Time: 20 minutes

Assets needed: none

Lesson 2: Connecting to a database and returning results

Objective: Student can connect to, retrieve from, and close a database

Description:

Installing and loading the packages
Connecting to a database
Retrieving keys and items
Retrieving records
Closing the connection

Time: 45 minutes