SQL & Excel Comparison | Notion

🔍 Purpose of the Document

This cheat sheet draws parallels between SQL commands (used in databases) and Excel features (used in spreadsheets), showing how similar tasks are performed in both tools.

📊 Side-by-Side Comparison

SQL Command	Excel Equivalent	What They Do
`SELECT`	Range Selection	Pick specific columns or data to work with.
`WHERE`	Filter	Show only rows that meet certain conditions.
`JOIN`	VLOOKUP / INDEX-MATCH	Combine data from different tables or sheets based on a common key.
`GROUP BY`	Pivot Table	Summarize and group data by categories.
`ORDER BY`	Sort	Arrange data in ascending or descending order.
`DISTINCT`	Remove Duplicates	Show only unique records or values.
`INSERT INTO`	Manual Entry / Copy-Paste	Add new data to a table or sheet.
`UPDATE`	Find & Replace / Edit Cell	Modify existing data in place.
`DELETE`	Delete Rows or Cells	Remove unwanted data.
`HAVING`	Conditional Formatting	Apply rules after grouping to highlight or filter summarized results.

🧮 Functions Comparison

SQL Function	Excel Function	Use Case
`COUNT()`	`COUNTA`,`COUNTIF`	Count how many rows or entries exist, sometimes with conditions.
`SUM()`	`SUM`,`SUMIF`	Add up values — optionally filtered by criteria.
`AVG()`	`AVERAGE`,`AVERAGEIF`	Calculate average values, optionally filtered by criteria.

✨ Why This is Useful

If you're learning SQL and already familiar with Excel, this helps bridge the gap.
It's a great tool for switching between spreadsheet work and database querying.
It helps understand where Excel's features stop and SQL's power begins — especially with larger datasets or automation needs.

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SQL & EXCEL COMPARISION.pdf