Database Essentials Course Outline
Course Curriculum
8 modules · Each module includes instructional content, a hands-on lab, and a quiz.
What a relational database is, how tables, rows, and columns work, and why the relational model is so powerful. Understand primary keys, foreign keys, and the rules that keep data consistent.
Write SELECT statements to retrieve data. Use WHERE to filter, ORDER BY to sort, and LIMIT to control output. The foundation of every SQL skill you will build on.
AND, OR, NOT, IN, BETWEEN, LIKE, and IS NULL. Write precise queries that return exactly the data you need from large datasets without pulling everything into memory.
COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX. Use GROUP BY to summarise data and HAVING to filter groups. Build the queries that answer business questions: totals, averages, and breakdowns by category.
INNER JOIN, LEFT JOIN, RIGHT JOIN, and FULL OUTER JOIN. Understand how to bring related data together from multiple tables — the most powerful and most misunderstood concept in SQL.
Write data safely. Understand transactions, how to rollback mistakes, and why you should always test UPDATE and DELETE with a SELECT first. Covers best practices for avoiding accidental data loss.
Design a database from scratch. Understand first, second, and third normal forms, entity-relationship diagrams, and how good design prevents data anomalies and makes queries faster and simpler.
Understand how indexes speed up queries and when to use them. Analyse query plans, identify slow queries, and manage database users and permissions to control access to sensitive data.