Blog
Engineering, product & ideas
Deep dives into how we build River, guides for self-hosted infrastructure, and the occasional opinion.
From Reader to Practitioner — What to Learn Next
You've got the foundations. Here's your roadmap from beginner to confident data practitioner.
SQL for Humans · Part 8
SQL + AI — Your New Data Co-Pilot
AI can write SQL for you. But should you trust it? Here's how to use AI as a co-pilot, not autopilot.
SQL for Humans · Part 7
Combining Tables — Connecting the Dots
Real data lives in multiple tables. JOINs connect them — like puzzle pieces clicking together.
SQL for Humans · Part 6
Counting, Summing, Averaging — The Big Picture
How many? How much? What's the average? SQL answers these in milliseconds.
SQL for Humans · Part 5
Sorting & Ranking — Making Sense of the Answers
Data without order is just noise. Learn to sort, rank, and surface what matters most.
SQL for Humans · Part 4
Filtering the Noise — Finding What Matters
Not all data is useful. WHERE lets you cut through the noise and find exactly what you need.
SQL for Humans · Part 3
Your First Query: Asking a Database a Question
SELECT, FROM ; two words that unlock any database. Let's write your first query together.
SQL for Humans · Part 2
Why Everyone's Talking About Data (And Why You Should Care)
You don't need to be a data scientist to be data-literate. Here's why SQL is the most valuable skill nobody told you about.
SQL for Humans · Part 1
