Ask HN: Are SQL developers generally familiar with JSON, VSCode and Docker?

6 pointskw1232y ago13 comments

I am asking this question as I am developing a data access solution that will change the data access development into SQL development, but requires the above tools. Thanks.

13 comments

sk110012y ago

Are there still SQL-only developers in 2024?

runjake2y ago

Yes. Many of them. A lot of them are retiring now, but I know plenty of younger DBAs coming in without any other programming experience and in many cases, no desire to learn.

rl19872y ago

Do they count as developers if they only write SQL?

phendrenad22y ago

I don't know about "many", but there are some.

mattmanser2y ago

A whole load in data analytics.

verdverm2y ago

SQL is one of the most widely used languages, and it's going to depend on what segment you are targeting.

Can you abstract this to a DB host?

Why are these extra tools a requirement to use your solution? It's better to meet your users where they are, let them use the tools they already know and use daily

kw123OP2y ago

Data access layer is currently coded in applications, using Java for example, causing so called object-relational impedance mismatch problem. To solve this problem, I attempt to take SQLs out of Java and make data access layer pure SQL. Thus I will need JSON to specify the nested data structures of input and output objects. Since this come from the application side, the tools are more application aligned. SQL editor alone is not sufficient, although the work is mainly SQL development now. I am trying to figure out which group I should be targeting, the traditional application developers or the new SQL developers.

verdverm2y ago

Many business analysts use SQL, have for a long time. They are probably not your target audience. With the problem being code specific, you'd likely want to start there, with devs. Most SQL users are not going to understand these things

This sounds similar to the goals of my hof tool (https://github.com/hofstadter-io/hof), lift type definitions out of code so they can be defined in one place, then generate the code for all the places. Is that sounding like what you are after?

1 more reply

d--b2y ago

No, no, and oh god no.

Best bets are: VBA, php, ruby, bash/shell/powershell.

whinvik2y ago

Somewhat unrelated but is SQLTools still the best plugin for SQL in VSCode. Wish there was something better.

kw123OP2y ago

The best SQL extension I could find for MySQL and PostgreSQL is Database Client.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

13 comments

sk110012y ago

Are there still SQL-only developers in 2024?

runjake2y ago

Yes. Many of them. A lot of them are retiring now, but I know plenty of younger DBAs coming in without any other programming experience and in many cases, no desire to learn.

rl19872y ago

Do they count as developers if they only write SQL?

phendrenad22y ago

I don't know about "many", but there are some.

mattmanser2y ago

A whole load in data analytics.

verdverm2y ago

SQL is one of the most widely used languages, and it's going to depend on what segment you are targeting.

Can you abstract this to a DB host?

Why are these extra tools a requirement to use your solution? It's better to meet your users where they are, let them use the tools they already know and use daily

kw123OP2y ago

verdverm2y ago

1 more reply

d--b2y ago

No, no, and oh god no.

Best bets are: VBA, php, ruby, bash/shell/powershell.

whinvik2y ago

Somewhat unrelated but is SQLTools still the best plugin for SQL in VSCode. Wish there was something better.

kw123OP2y ago

The best SQL extension I could find for MySQL and PostgreSQL is Database Client.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse