Many data scientists are STEM PhDs with research under their belts. This shows they can figure out complex, technical challenges and then translate it into written, persuasive materials. I'd be surprised if most of these highly learned, gritty individuals (1/2 of grad students develop mental health illnesses) could not learn SQL, even if it is tricky/ugly/less user friendly.
I use SQL daily and while it's not ideal, it provides a very reliable foundation upon which R and STATA scripts build.
I use SQL daily and while it's not ideal, it provides a very reliable foundation upon which R and STATA scripts build.