Those things don't generally influence how you structure the query, though - you can choose to structure your query to fit the underlying structure better, or you can modify the underlying structure to better fit your data and the manipulations you are trying to preform.
Yes, most of us will have to do both at some point, but they can be thought of as discrete skills.
This isn't a bad analogy though. Git itself is similar - once you understood the graph-like nature of commits (which isn't all that complicated to begin with), it's generally not hard to skim through a repository and understand its history. Diffing etc. is also simple enough this way.
If, on the other hand, you are working to create said history (and devise/use an advanced workflow for that), it's very helpful if you understand the underlying concepts. Which also goes for designing database layouts - someone who doesn't understand the basics of the optimizer will inevitably run into performance problems, just as someone who doesn't understand Git's inner workings will inevitably bork the repository.
Yes, most of us will have to do both at some point, but they can be thought of as discrete skills.