Course · Beginner

Introduction to SQL and Databases

Knowing how to manipulate and access data is one the most in-demand job skills. SQL is one of the most-used programming languages for this task. Adding SQL skills will give you an advantage in almost any role you apply for from entry level all the way to the C-Suite. In this course, you'll learn how to write code and perform fundamental data tasks using SQL - no previous coding experience is necessary. By the end of this course, you'll be able to perform simple queries.

  • Beginner friendly
  • 4 hrs
  • 6 lessons
  • 1 project
  • Premium

Course overview

Develop core SQL skills by writing queries to access, explore, and manipulate data stored in relational databases for common data analysis tasks.

What's inside

6 lessons · 1 project

  • 01
    Exploring the Database and Schema

    <p>As data analysts, our data rarely comes to us ready to go. In this lesson, we’ll learn SQL’s role in querying bits of data from a relational database and some basic database rules.</p> <p>In this and the following lessons, we'll use the `superstore` dataset ([source: Tableau](https://community.tableau.com/s/question/0D54T00000CWeX8SAL/sample-superstore-sales-excelxls)). You are a new data analyst at Superstore and have been asked to familiarize yourself with this database. How do you go about doing it?&nbsp;</p>

    33 min
  • 02
    Exploring Tables and Columns

    <p>In this lesson, we will perform operations on columns and use functions such as `ROUND()`, `UPPER()`, and `LOWER()`.</p>

    63 min
  • 03
    Filtering with Numbers

    <p>In this lesson, we’ll use the <span style="color: rgb(235,87,87);background-color: rgba(135,131,120,0.15);font-size: 85%;">WHERE</span> clause to retrieve records that meet certain criteria in a table.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

    46 min
  • 04
    Filtering with Strings and Categories

    <p>In this lesson, we’ll use the `WHERE` clause to retrieve records that meet certain text-based criteria in a table.</p>

    35 min
  • 05
    Sorting Results

    <p>In this lesson we’ll use the <span style="color: rgb(235,87,87);background-color: rgba(135,131,120,0.15);font-size: 85%;">ORDER BY</span> clause to sort our results by the value of one or more fields.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

    30 min
  • 06
    Conditional Statements and Style

    <p>In this lesson, we’ll learn how to use conditional logic in SQL to summarize our data. We'll also learn additional best practices for coding in SQL.&nbsp;</p>

    44 min
  • 07
    Guided Project: Analyzing Kickstarter Projects Project

    For this project, you'll assume the role of a data analyst at a startup considering launching a Kickstarter campaign. You'll analyze data to help the team understand what might influence a campaign's success.

    31 min

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Aaron Melton
Aaron Melton
Business Analyst at Aditi Consulting

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