SQL: A Practical Introduction for Querying Databases

SQL: A Practical Introduction for Querying Databases

This course is part of multiple programs.

Instructor: Rav Ahuja

What you'll learn

Analyze data within a database using SQL.
Create a relational database on Cloud and work with tables.
Write SQL statements including SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE.
Build more powerful queries with advanced SQL techniques like views, transactions, stored procedures and joins.

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

14 assignments

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is available as part of

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be asked to select a specific program.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate from IBM

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV

Share it on social media and in your performance review

There are 5 modules in this course

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.

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.

What's included

6 videos1 reading2 assignments3 app items1 plugin

6 videosTotal 19 minutes

Course Introduction2 minutesPreview module
Introduction to Databases4 minutes
SELECT Statement3 minutes
COUNT, DISTINCT, LIMIT2 minutes
INSERT Statement2 minutes
UPDATE and DELETE Statements3 minutes

1 readingTotal 5 minutes

Summary & Highlights5 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 24 minutes

Practice Quiz15 minutes
Graded Quiz: Basic SQL9 minutes

3 app itemsTotal 75 minutes

Hands-on Lab: Simple SELECT Statements20 minutes
Hands-on Lab: COUNT, DISTINCT, LIMIT35 minutes
Hands-on Lab: INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE20 minutes

1 pluginTotal 5 minutes

SELECT statement examples5 minutes

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.

What's included

5 videos2 readings2 assignments3 app items5 plugins

5 videosTotal 22 minutes

Relational Database Concepts5 minutesPreview module
Types of SQL statements (DDL vs. DML)2 minutes
CREATE TABLE Statement4 minutes
ALTER, DROP, and Truncate tables4 minutes
How to create a Database instance on Cloud5 minutes

2 readingsTotal 6 minutes

Optional Db2 Labs1 minute
Summary & Highlights5 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 24 minutes

Practice Quiz15 minutes
Graded Quiz: Relational DB Concepts and Tables9 minutes

3 app itemsTotal 50 minutes

Hands-on Lab : CREATE, ALTER, TRUNCATE, DROP20 minutes
Hands-on Lab: Create and Load Tables using SQL Scripts20 minutes
Obtain IBM Cloud Feature Code and Activate Trial Account10 minutes

5 pluginsTotal 90 minutes

Examples to ALTER and TRUNCATE tables using MySQL15 minutes
Examples to CREATE and DROP tables15 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Create Db2 service instance and Get started with the Db2 console15 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: CREATE, ALTER, TRUNCATE, DROP15 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Create and Load Tables using SQL Scripts30 minutes

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.

What's included

7 videos2 readings4 assignments4 app items4 plugins

7 videosTotal 31 minutes

Using String Patterns and Ranges4 minutesPreview module
Sorting Result Sets2 minutes
Grouping Result Sets3 minutes
Built-in Database Functions6 minutes
Date and Time Built-in Functions2 minutes
Sub-Queries and Nested Selects4 minutes
Working with Multiple Tables6 minutes

2 readingsTotal 10 minutes

Summary & Highlights5 minutes
Summary & Highlights5 minutes

4 assignmentsTotal 48 minutes

Practice Quiz15 minutes
Practice Quiz15 minutes
Graded Quiz: Refining Your Results9 minutes
Graded Quiz: Functions, Sub-Queries, Multiple Tables9 minutes

4 app itemsTotal 80 minutes

Hands-on Lab: String Patterns, Sorting and Grouping20 minutes
Hands-on Lab: Built-in functions20 minutes
Hands-on Lab : Sub-queries and Nested SELECTS20 minutes
Hands-on Lab: Working with Multiple Tables20 minutes

4 pluginsTotal 100 minutes

(Optional) Db2 Lab : String Patterns, Sorting & Grouping35 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Built-in functions15 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Sub-queries and Nested SELECTs 20 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Working with Multiple Tables 30 minutes

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.

What's included

2 videos2 readings2 assignments2 app items4 plugins

2 videosTotal 10 minutes

Working with Real World Datasets5 minutesPreview module
Getting Table and Column Details4 minutes

2 readingsTotal 3 minutes

Congratulations & Next Steps2 minutes
Course Team1 minute

2 assignmentsTotal 90 minutes

Project Evaluation (Quiz)30 minutes
Final Exam60 minutes

2 app itemsTotal 40 minutes

Hands-on Lab: Working with a real world data-set20 minutes
Hands-on Lab: Final Project20 minutes

4 pluginsTotal 77 minutes

(Optional) LOADing Data15 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Working with a Real World Dataset using SQL and IBM Cloud Db2 45 minutes
Final Project Overview2 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Exploratory Data Analysis with SQL15 minutes

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.

What's included

6 videos3 readings4 assignments1 peer review6 app items6 plugins

6 videosTotal 23 minutes

Views3 minutesPreview module
Stored Procedures3 minutes
ACID Transactions3 minutes
Join Overview4 minutes
Inner Join2 minutes
Outer Joins5 minutes

3 readingsTotal 12 minutes

About this Honors Module2 minutes
Summary & Highlights5 minutes
Summary & Highlights5 minutes

4 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Practice Quiz15 minutes
Practice Quiz15 minutes
Graded Quiz: Views, Stored Procedures and Transactions15 minutes
Graded Quiz: JOIN operations15 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Advanced SQL for Data Engineers60 minutes

6 app itemsTotal 160 minutes

Hands-on Lab: Using Views20 minutes
Hands-on Lab: Stored Procedures20 minutes
Hands-on Lab: Committing and Rolling back a Transaction20 minutes
Hands-on Lab: Joins20 minutes
Practice Lab: Joins20 minutes
Hands-on Lab:Final Project: Advanced SQL Techniques60 minutes

6 pluginsTotal 145 minutes

(Optional) Db2 Lab: Using Views10 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Stored Procedures10 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Committing and rolling back a transaction10 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Joins25 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Lab: Joins30 minutes
(Optional) Db2 Final Project: Advanced SQL for Data Engineers60 minutes

Instructor

Instructor ratings

4.6 (115 ratings)

Rav Ahuja

IBM

53 Courses3,132,388 learners

Offered by

IBM

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018

"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020

"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

Larry W.

Learner since 2021

"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

4.7

449 reviews

5 stars
76%
4 stars
18.22%
3 stars
3.77%
2 stars
0.88%
1 star
1.11%

Showing 3 of 449

Reviewed on Mar 7, 2024

Though there are a few mistakes throughout the course, and the labs were not working for a part of the course, overall the course has good useful information.

Reviewed on Jun 20, 2023

good course for people who don't have any computer science background

Reviewed on Aug 10, 2023

Thanks the authority of the course and coursers. I learn lot's of things. It's was nice course for me. I love the course. I will recommend to my friends about the courser.

View more reviews