I think that SQL as a language is not really the problem. There are a lot of developers out there that really don’t do well in any language, but the quality of their work is more exposed in SQL where performance and accuracy is more of an issue.

The number one problem that most developers have when working with SQL Server is not using the language, but developing a schema that models the data accurately and completely. Deficiencies in the design of the data are much harder to fix once they make it into a production environment, and they make it hard for developers to write fast, efficient queries to get the data they need. At the same time, many developers seem unaware of the long term implications of bad logical and physical designs, so the most important aspect of database development gets the least amount of attention. Bad design leads to developers spending a lot of time trying to stand SQL on its head to do things it shouldn’t have to do with a well designed schema.

I remember a conversation with a developer where I questioned the fact that he used inappropriate data types and that none of his tables had a primary key. He dismissed this saying that he was designing for the “real world”, and couldn’t be bothered with things were of only “theoretical interest”.