SQL: A Practical Introduction for Querying Databases

Overview

Class Central Tips

Much of the world's data lives in databases. SQL (or Structured Query Language) is a powerful programming language that is used for communicating with and manipulating data in databases. A working knowledge of databases and SQL is a must for anyone who wants to start a career in Data Engineering, Data Warehousing, Data Analytics, Data Science or Business Intelligence. The purpose of this course is to help you learn and apply foundational and intermediate knowledge of the SQL language, and become familiar with many relational database (RDBMS) concepts along the way. You will start with performing basic Create, Read, Update and Delete (CRUD) operations using CREATE, SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE statements. You will then learn to filter, order, sort, and aggregate data. You will work with functions, perform sub-selects and nested queries, as well as JOIN data in multiple tables. You will also work with VIEWS, transactions and create stored procedures. The emphasis in this course is on hands-on, practical learning. As such, you will work with real database systems, use real tools, and real-world datasets. You will create a database instance in the cloud. Through a series of hands-on labs, you will practice building and running SQL queries. At the end of the course you will apply and demonstrate your skills with a final project. The SQL skills you learn in this course will be applicable to a variety of RDBMSes such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, IBM Db2, Oracle, SQL Server and others. No prior knowledge of databases, SQL or programming is required, however some basic data literacy is beneficial.

Syllabus

Getting Started with SQL

In this module, you will be introduced to databases. You will create a database instance on the cloud. You will learn some of the basic SQL statements. You will also write and practice basic SQL hands-on on a live database.

Introduction to Relational Databases and Tables

In this module, you will explore the fundamental concepts behind databases, tables, and the relationships between them. You will then create an instance of a database, discover SQL statements that allow you to create and manipulate tables, and then practice them on your own live database.

Intermediate SQL

In this module, you will learn how to use string patterns and ranges to search data and how to sort and group data in result sets. You will also practice composing nested queries and execute select statements to access data from multiple tables.

Working with real-world data sets, Final Project & Exam

In this assignment, you will be working with multiple real world datasets for the city of Chicago. You will be asked questions that will help you understand the data just as you would in the real wold. You will be assessed on the correctness of your SQL queries and results.

Advanced SQL (Honors)

This module covers some advanced SQL techniques that will be useful for Data Engineers. If you are following the Data Engineering track, you must complete this module. Completion of this module is not required for those completing the Data Science or Data Analyst tracks. In this module, you will learn how to build more powerful queries with advanced SQL techniques like views, transactions, stored procedures and joins.