{"id":2653,"date":"2018-06-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-06-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/blog\/get-started-with-u-sql-it-s-easy"},"modified":"2023-05-11T15:39:15","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T22:39:15","slug":"get-started-with-u-sql-it-s-easy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/get-started-with-u-sql-it-s-easy\/","title":{"rendered":"Get started with U-SQL: It\u2019s easy!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Azure Data Lake Analytics combines declarative and imperative concepts in the form of a new language called U-SQL<\/strong>. The idea of learning a new language is daunting. Don\u2019t worry! U-SQL is easy to learn<\/strong>. You can learn the vast majority of the language in a single day. If you are familiar with SQL or languages like C# or Java, you will find that learning U-SQL is natural and that you will be productive incredibly fast.
\n\u00a0\u00a0
\nA common question we get is \u201cHow can I get started with U-SQL?\u201d This blog will show you all the core steps you need to get ramped up on U-SQL.<\/p>\n

What is U-SQL?<\/h2>\n

U-SQL is the big data query language and execution framework in the Azure Data Lake Analytics. U-SQL uses familiar SQL concepts and language to scale out your custom code (.NET\/C#\/Python) from Gigabyte to Petabyte scale. U-SQL offers the usual big data processing concepts such as \u201cschema on reads,\u201d custom processors, and reducers. The language lets you query and combine data from multiple data sources including Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Blob Storage, Azure SQL DB, Azure SQL Data Warehouse and SQL Server instances running on Azure VMs.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Read the U-SQL tutorial<\/h2>\n

The U-SQL tutorial<\/a> is best place to start. It will lead you step-by-step, incrementally through the language and tools. You don\u2019t need an Azure subscription or an ADLA account for this step. The tutorial teaches you how to run U-SQL on your own Windows box. Following through this doc will only take one or two days, and afterward you will have a solid grasp on most of the U-SQL code you would ever need to write in practice.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Submit a U-SQL job through the Azure Portal<\/h2>\n

At this point, you\u2019ve got a sense of the language. Now we will explore the mechanics of using the language with Azure. In this step you will learn how to submit a U-SQL script to an ADLA account and monitor its progress. Read the Getting Started guide<\/a>. The guide will walk through all the steps needed. As an alternative, you could also watch this YouTube video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Run some of the U-SQL samples in the Azure Portal<\/h2>\n

Since the language is still new to you at this point, you can take advantage of the sample scripts available in the Azure Portal. These samples cover some very common U-SQL scenarios. We find that many users prefer starting with one of our existing samples rather than starting with an empty U-SQL script.<\/p>\n

Below are the steps you can follow to start with existing samples in the portal:<\/p>\n