In Chapter 2, you learned how to import various data sources (CSV, Parquet, Excel, and databases) into DuckDB through the Python programming language. With that knowledge, the next step for you to work on is manipulating the data loaded into DuckDB using SQL. After all, using SQL in DuckDB is one of the main features of DuckDB. And so in this chapter, our focus is on using SQL in DuckDB. Specifically, this chapter will focus on two areas:
Using the DuckDB CLI (command line interface) to work with DuckDB databases without the need to use a programming language such as Python.
Using SQL with DuckDB databases. Rather than providing an exhaustive exploration of SQL, our focus will be on learning through practical examples.
With that, let’s dive right in!
Using the DuckDB CLI
The DuckDB CLI is a tool that allows users to interact with DuckDB directly from the command line. In Chapter 2, you saw how to interact with DuckDB using Python. However, there are times where you simply want to work with the databases directly—such as when creating new tables, importing data from different data sources, and performing database-related tasks. In such instances, it is much more efficient to use the DuckDB CLI directly.
The DuckDB CLI has been precompiled for the various platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux. See the installation page for instructions on installing the DuckDB CLI for your platform (see Figure 3-1).
Figure 3-1. Downloading the DuckDB CLI
For example, ...
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