PS Query & SQL

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  • 1.  Can Design Thinking Transform How We Teach PS Query?

    Posted 03-20-2025 04:15 PM

    What if we reimagined how we train people on PS Query - not just as a technical skill, but as an experience designed with the learner in mind?

    Design Thinking is all about human-centered problem-solving, and I put it to the test while creating a comprehensive PS Query Manager guide for staff at Duke University. Through empathy-driven research, prototyping, and user feedback, I developed a resource designed to make learning PS Query more intuitive and impactful.

     Curious about how Design Thinking can reshape training? Check out my case study in the HEUG library and let’s discuss! How else could we apply this approach to improve the way we support our users?

     Looking forward to your thoughts!

    The content was generated with the assistance of ChatGPT on March 19, 2025



    ------------------------------
    HEUG Community of Practice
    Reporting, Analytics, and Data Governance Subcommittee

    Anna Kourouniotis MA
    Database Analyst II
    Duke University
    ------------------------------
    Alliance 2026 Registration is Open!


  • 2.  RE: Can Design Thinking Transform How We Teach PS Query?

    Posted 03-20-2025 05:09 PM
    Hi Anna,

    Thank you for sharing this - that was enjoyable to read through!

    Admittedly I didn't know anything about Design Think prior to reading this. But, I do have a question about how you arrived at the four categories, specifically the distinction between JOINS and CRITERIA.

    Since PSQuery doesn't use ANSI joins for inner joins, I tend to think of JOINS as a subset of CRITERIA when writing queries in PS. But I am very open to changing how I think about it. Can you explain to me how you landed on separating those two out for training new query-writers?

    Thanks!

    Jeffrie

    --
    Jeffrie Brooks | BUSINESS SYSTEM ANALYST
    UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
    734-647-8763 | jedobr@umich.edu



    Original Message
    Alliance 2026 Registration is Open!


  • 3.  RE: Can Design Thinking Transform How We Teach PS Query?

    Posted 03-21-2025 12:10 PM

    Hi Jeffrie!

    Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to read through my case study! I'm thrilled to hear that you found it enjoyable and informative.

    Regarding your question about the distinction between JOINS and CRITERIA, I appreciate your perspective. In the context of training new query-writers, I found it helpful to separate these two categories to provide a clearer understanding of the different components involved in query building. While it's true that PSQuery doesn't use ANSI joins for inner joins, distinguishing JOINS from CRITERIA allows new users to grasp the concept of how tables are related (JOINS) versus how data is filtered (CRITERIA). This separation can make the learning process more intuitive and less overwhelming for beginners. Most non-technical query users and writers - at least in my experience training these users -  do not necessarily know (or need to know) how PSQuery handles inner joins (leveraging predefined key fields to link tables together) compared with say ANSI SQL joins that require explicit join conditions. We can argue that PS Query's method is more user-friendly in this way, but maybe not for SQL developers. Additionally, I tried to represent the elements also based on how they see them as separate tabs. 

    Finally, I'm always open to feedback and new ideas. If you have any suggestions or different approaches that have worked for you, I'd love to hear them!

    Best,

    Anna 



    ------------------------------
    HEUG Community of Practice
    Reporting, Analytics, and Data Governance Subcommittee

    Anna Kourouniotis MA
    Database Analyst II
    Duke University
    ------------------------------

    Original Message
    Alliance 2026 Registration is Open!


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