Course overview

This intensive, beginner-friendly SQL crash course teaches you the core skills required to query relational databases confidently and effectively. You’ll learn how to retrieve and filter data, combine tables with JOINs, summarize insights using aggregate functions, and structure queries for clarity and performance. Through concise lessons and practical labs, you will build a strong foundation across common SQL dialects (PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite) so you can adapt to real-world data tasks in analytics, reporting, and application development.

What you will learn

• Query basics: SELECT, FROM, WHERE, ORDER BY, LIMIT for precise data retrieval.
• Grouping & aggregation: GROUP BY, HAVING, COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX for summary metrics.
• Table relationships: INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, and FULL JOINs; keys and normalization concepts.
• Data shaping: CASE, COALESCE, DISTINCT, aliases, and subqueries for flexible results.
• Filtering mastery: Operators, pattern matching with LIKE, and NULL-safe comparisons.
• Practical workflows: Importing sample data, debugging queries, and readable formatting.

Who this course is for

Ideal for aspiring data analysts, developers, testers, business professionals, and students transitioning into data roles. If you need to query databases for dashboards, reports, or application features, this course gives you the essential tools and confidence to start strong.

Course curriculum

Module 1: SQL foundations

• Relational basics: Tables, rows, columns, keys, and normalization levels.
• First queries: SELECT, WHERE filters, ORDER BY, and LIMIT for quick wins.

Module 2: Aggregation and grouping

• Aggregate functions: COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX with GROUP BY.
• Refinement: HAVING vs WHERE and common pitfalls.

Module 3: Joins and relationships

• Join types: INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, FULL and when to use each.
• Key integrity: Primary/foreign keys, indexes, and data consistency.

Module 4: Data shaping techniques

• Transformations: CASE, COALESCE, aliases, DISTINCT for cleaner outputs.
• Subqueries & CTEs: Nesting logic and readable patterns.

Module 5: Practical workflows

• Sample datasets: Loading CSVs and verifying schema.
• Troubleshooting: Common errors, explainable fixes, and query formatting.

Module 6: Mini projects

• Analytics report: KPIs with GROUP BY and JOINs.
• Lookup API: SQL queries behind a simple app feature.

Learning outcomes

• Confident querying: Retrieve, filter, and sort data across typical business scenarios.
• Relational fluency: Join tables effectively to answer multi-table questions.
• Actionable insights: Aggregate and group data to produce clear metrics and summaries.
• Portable skills: Apply core SQL concepts across PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite.
• Professional habits: Write readable queries, handle NULLs, and debug errors systematically.

Explore These Valuable Resources

• PostgreSQL: SQL Tutorial
• MySQL: SQL Statements Reference
• SQLite: SQL Language Documentation

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