Styling conventions

Introduction

Many programming languages use styling conventions: rules for writing code.

This serves the following purposes:

• Increasing the readability of the code.

• Easier to make modifications by others.

For SQL, there is no single set of styling conventions.

• There are different standards.

• It is highly recommended to follow one standard with your colleagues.

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1. Considerations for styling conventions

We consider a number of different choices in standards:

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1.1. Indentation

2 spaces

SELECT
  *
FROM
  <table_name>;

Tab

SELECT
    *
FROM
    <table_name>;

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1.2. Capitalization

Uppercase

SELECT
  *
FROM
  <table_name>;

Lowercase

select
  *
from
  <table_name>;

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1.3. Naming

Snake case

SELECT
  first_name
FROM
  students;

Camel case

SELECT 
  firstName
FROM
  students;

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2. Example standards

If you want to delve deeper into standards, take a look at the following pages:

• Kickstarter SQL Style Guide
• GitLab SQL Style Guide
• Brooklyn Data Co. SQL style guide
• Mazur's SQL Style Guide
• dbt Style Guide

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Summary

• Styling conventions help with:
  • Increasing the readability of your code.
  • Making it easier for others to make modifications.
• There are different choices in standards for SQL.
  • Choose one standard with your colleagues.