SQL: From traditional databases to big data

The Structured Query Language (SQL) is the main programing language designed to manage data stored in database systems. While SQL was initially used only with relational database management systems (RDBMS), its use has been significantly extended with the advent of new types of database systems. Specifically, SQL has been found to be a powerful query language in highly distributed and scalable systems that process Big Data, i.e., datasets with high volume, velocity and variety. While traditional relational databases represent now only a small fraction of the database systems landscape, most database courses that cover SQL consider only the use of SQL in the context of traditional relational systems. In this paper, we propose teaching SQL as a general language that can be used in a broad range of database systems from traditional RDBMSs to Big Data systems. This paper presents well-structured guidelines to introduce SQL in the context of new types of database systems including MapReduce, NoSQL and NewSQL. A key contribution of this paper is the description of an array of course resources, e.g., virtual machines, sample projects, and in-class exercises, to enable a hands-on experience with SQL across a broad set of modern database systems.