SQLAlchemy is a powerful library for database interaction in Python, and getting started with it is straightforward. To use it effectively, you'll first need to set up a connection to your database, define a model representing a table, and then use that model to interact with your data.

1. Install SQLAlchemy

Before getting started, you need to install the SQLAlchemy library. Use the following command for this:

On our platform, the library is already installed, so you can proceed to the next step.

2. Set Up a Database Connection

SQLAlchemy requires an engine to connect to the database. The engine manages the database connection and executes SQL queries. Here's an example using SQLite:

from sqlalchemy import create_engine

# Create an SQLite engine
engine = create_engine('sqlite:///example.db', echo=True)  # `echo=True` logs SQL statements

3. Define a Base Class

In SQLAlchemy, the base class acts like a starting point for creating your database models. It gives you the tools you need to describe what your database tables will look like. Think of it as the foundation for building your table blueprints.

from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base

# Create the base class for models
Base = declarative_base()

After completing these steps, you can proceed to creating models (database tables).