Is SQL becoming a niche skill? Explore the evolution of IT specialization and the ongoing relevance of SQL in data querying.

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Opinions are divided on whether SQL is becoming a niche skill. Despite its historical demand and popularity, there is a rise in specialization in the IT industry, leading to the emergence of data scientists and other specialized roles. SQL remains widely used and is even implemented in alternative tools like DuckDB and osquery. However, some argue against the use of schemas in favor of more flexible databases like MongoDB.

At 50 Years Old, Is SQL Becoming a Niche Skill?

I probably write it almost every day. But then the question comes down to if we work in what would be considered a “niche” area :D

I’d like to say I write SQL (MySQL flavor) daily, but it’s a lie… I am, however, pretty skilled, or at least I’d like to think so about nearly 10 years. Coworkers always ask “why <code>STRAIGHT_JOIN</code>?” when they see it…

I disagree it’s a niche skill. If anything, it’s becoming a more crucial skill. If you work in a company that generates a ton of data every day (i.e., a shipping/warehouse company), SQL is very helpful in getting useful information out of all the data generated quickly. I use it everyday to get information instead of using ODBC-connected spreadsheets.

The problem is developers don’t want to write SQL (or some cases I’ve seen they want to, but the company doesn’t want them to).
So they use something like Entity Framework which frequently creates terrible SQL (and you don’t get things like caching benefits as every query is adhoc).
The SQL runs slow because it’s bad. DBAs can’t optimise it because it’s all generated by code. So the company just throws money at the hardware, and the SQL licencing costs increase.
Suddenly you’ve got an absolute beast of a server costing tens of thousands a month to run and licence, for something that could cost a fraction of the price.

Well if SQL is considered a niche skill, I guess I am now a wanted developer…