To capture data in our database, we will install SQLite so that it is ready to be used with Python's sqlite3 built-in module. Use the following command to install SQLite:

sudo apt-get install sqlite3  

Next, we will perform some basic operations with SQLite to see how to use SQL queries.

Run SQLite directly, creating a new test.db database file with the following command:

sqlite3 test.db
SQLite version 3.7.13 2012-06-11 02:05:22
Enter ".help" for instructions
Enter SQL statements terminated with a ";"
sqlite>  

This will open an SQLite console, within which we enter SQL commands directly. For example, the following commands will create a new table, add some data, display the content, and then remove the table:

CREATE TABLE mytable (info TEXT, info2 TEXT,);
INSERT INTO mytable VALUES ("John","Smith");
INSERT INTO mytable VALUES ("Mary","Jane");
John|Smith
Mary|Jane
DROP TABLE mytable;
.exit  

You will need the same hardware setup as the previous recipe, as detailed in the Getting ready section of the Using devices with the I²C bus recipe.