Top 5 SQL and Database Courses to Learn Online

Hello guys, if you are a computer science graduate or new into the programming world and interested in learning Database and, SQL and looking for some awesome resources — e.g. books, courses, and tutorials — to start with, then you have come to the right place.

In the past, I have shared some of the best SQL books and tutorials, and today, I am going to share some of the best SQL and database courses to learn so you can master this useful technology.

If you don’t know what SQL is and why you should learn it, let me give you a brief overview of SQL for everyone’s benefit. SQL is a programming language to work with a database.

You can use SQL to create database objects — e.g. tables, stored procedure, etc. — and also to store and retrieve data from the database.

The SQL is one of the most important skills for any programmer, irrespective of technology, framework, and domain. It is even more popular than a mainstream programming language like Java and Python, and it definitely adds a lot of value to your CV.

SQL allows you to play with data, which is the most important asset of today’s world. By learning SQL, you can get answers to your questions. For example, if you are a course creator for Udemy, a popular online course platform, and want to know which course is the best seller and which course is not selling at all, you can use SQL.

It can help in troubleshooting as well as reporting. Also, SQL is very stable technology and has been around for years, and it will be needed in the future. This means any investment you make in learning SQL will also serve you for a long time in your career.

5 Best Courses to Learn SQL and Database Online

In the past, I have also shared some free SQL courses, which my readers liked, but the feedback was that they want more comprehensive and in-depth material and that’s why I am coming with this list of best SQL and database courses for both beginners and experienced programmers.

In this list, I have included some of the best SQL and Database courses from Udemy and Pluarlsight, two of the leading places for online courses.

These courses will teach you SQL from the ground up. Most of them don’t even need a pre-requisite as long as you know how to operate a computer and download things from the internet, which you know, and that’s why you are reading this article.

1. The Complete SQL Bootcamp
This is an excellent SQL course for beginners. The course starts from scratch and doesn’t require any previous programming skill or experience.

As the name suggests, the course is inspired by Bootcamps and focuses on intense learning. It is also a comprehensive course and explains every single concept by using slides as well as live coding.

The Complete SQL Bootcamp | Udemy

The author uses PostgreSQL for demonstration purposes, which is both free and open source. It also comes with GUI tool called PgAdmin, which makes it easy to work with PostgreSQL database.

Even though the author uses PostgreSQL, all the concepts you learn in this book are applicable to other major databases — e.g. Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and MySQL.

Another plus of the course is an instructor who is very enthusiastic and detailed in his approach. Overall, this is a great course to start learning SQL from scratch, particularly for beginners.

2. SQL for Newbs: Data Analysis for Beginners
This is another awesome and fun course for beginners to learn SQL. I really enjoyed watching this course, not just for content, but also for positive energy from both instructors, David and Pete.

It is really fun watching them discuss and explain SQL concepts. I know SQL is interesting, but they make it even more interesting. It’s like old college days with some friends always jumping and doing stuff, which makes you laugh, but at least it helps remove boredom from the class.

SQL for Newbs: Data Analysis for Beginners | Udemy

As for the content, as the name suggests, it is a beginner course, but you will learn all the essential concepts — e.g. creating a database, tables, stored procedures, using SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements.

They use MySQL database in this course, which is the most popular open-source database, and you can download that for free. They have a section for downloading and installing the MySQL database as well.

After learning the basics, you will learn some non-trivial information — e.g. GROUP BY operator and aggregate functions, connecting tables, joining on multiple conditions, and dealing with other SQL operators and functions.

The best part, of course, is that it has brainbuster exercises to test your SQL knowledge, which is key in building data since you need to work with relational databases and SQL.

3. SQL & Database Design A-Z™: Learn MS SQL Server + PostgreSQL
This is another great course to learn SQL in depth. It covers almost all the topics an application developer should know about SQL.

In this course, you will learn about creating basic SQL queries and different types of joins — e.g. right and left join, inner join, outer join, cross join, self-join, etc.

This course also explains advanced concepts — e.g. indexes, writing SQL queries with multiple tables, and joining them together to produce a meaningful report.

SQL & Database Design A-Z™: Learn MS SQL Server + PostgreSQL

You will also explore database design concepts — e.g. normalization. This course has an entire section that explains normalization and various normal forms — e.g. 1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF, etc.

The course uses both Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL, and the best part of the course is that its focus is on enhancing your data analytics skills with real-world data science exercises.

If you are interested in Data Science and want to become a data scientist, then a good knowledge of SQL will go a long way, and this course is a great place to start.

4. Oracle SQL: Become a Certified SQL Developer From Scratch!
There is no doubt that Oracle is the most popular relational database, and there is a huge demand for people with good Oracle Database skills and experience — e.g. application developer who knows Oracle PL/SQL and a database administrator who knows the ins and outs of Oracle database.

Whether or not you want to learn Oracle from an application development perspective or from a Database admin. perspective, this course is a good place to start.

Oracle SQL : Become a Certified SQL Developer From Scratch!

In this course, you will not only learn to create databases, tables, and stored procedures but also how to write SQL queries.

You will learn essential SQL concepts in Oracle database — e.g. SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and ALTER statements, joins, group by, where clause, and other functions.

It’s a comprehensive course with 100+ lectures and is well organized into 16 sections that will teach you all important SQL concepts using Oracle database.

The instructor is good, and it uses free tools like Oracle SQL Developer, which you can download from the web. Overall, it is a good SQL course if you want to learn with Oracle database.

5. 200+ SQL Interview Questions
This is an excellent course to learn SQL from an interview point of view. If you are preparing for your first job interview or next job, you can expect a lot of SQL questions on the interview.

It’s an important skill, and that’s why many interviews focus on SQL along with data structure and algorithms.

By taking this course, you will not only be well prepared for your next interview, but you will also learn a lot about important SQL concepts. For example, if you just watch the preview of one chapter, which discusses how to tune SQL query or how to find and explain execution plan, you learn a lot.

I am a particular fan of learning from interview questions, as they encourage me more and peak my curiosity. If you are like me, you will find this course immensely helpful. I have bought this course for just $10.99 USD last year and still enjoy it to this day.

It is also a perfect companion for Joe Gekko’s SQL puzzlers book, which is a great read. It is an interesting SQL query and puzzle book, which is a must read if haven’t read it already.

Those are some of the best online courses to learn SQL and Database fundamentals. These are excellent SQL courses for both beginners and experienced programmers who don’t know SQL.

Since SQL skills are always in demand and, in fact, mandatory along with other programming skills, a good knowledge of SQL will not only help you to get a better job but will also help in your current day-to-day tasks.

6. SQL for Data Science — Coursera

If you are learning SQL for Data Science then this is the perfect course to start with. This is actually one of the best SQL courses on Coursera and teaches you SQL fundamentals and how to work with data.

This course is offered by the University of California, also know as UCDavis and it is delivered by instructor Sadie St. Lawrence.

Here are the skills you will gain in this course

SQL BasicsData AnalysisData ScienceSQLite

Talking bout social proof, more than 39% of learners have started a new career after completing this course, 34% have got a tangible career benefit from this course and more than 10% of people have got a pay increase or promotion.

Here is the link to join this course — SQL for Data Science

And, if you find Coursera courses useful, which they are because they are created by reputed companies and universities around the world, I suggest you get the Coursera Plus, a subscription plan from Coursera which gives you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specialization, professional certificate, and guided projects. It cost around $399/year but its complete worth of your money as you get unlimited certificates.

Invest in your professional goals with Coursera Plus. Get unlimited access to over 90% of courses, Specializations, and…coursera.com

7. Building Basic Relational Databases in SQL Server Management Studio — Coursera

This is one of the best Coursera guided project which will teach you how to work with SQL Server using SQL Server MAnagement studio in a step by step and guided manner.

In this one-hour based project, you will apply the basics of working with relational databases within the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) environment.

Here are the main things you will learn in this course:

Learn how to load the AdventureWorks database into SQLCreate a database diagram using the Object Explorer window in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).Create and run a simple structured query language (SQL) command to retrieve data from a table.Create and run a simple SQL command to create a table and columns.

Here is the link to join this course — Building Basic Relational Databases in SQL Server Management Studio

If you don’t know Guided projects are new offering form Coursera where you learn by doing hands-on coding practice on the browser and your instructor guide you using split-screen lectures. This is a great way of learning as you learn a skill in a short time.

If you find Coursera courses useful then you can also opt for Coursera Plus subscription which provides unlimited access to Coursera courses, specialization, and professional certificates. It’s actually a cost-effective way to learn in Coursera.

Invest in your professional goals with Coursera Plus. Get Unlimited access to over 90% of courses, Specializations, and…coursera.com

8. Complete SQL + Databases Bootcamp: Zero to Mastery [2020]

SQL and know how to work with data is a valuable skill for almost any role and getting more valuable by the day and this is one of the best courses to learn SQL and Database fundamentals in 2020.

Created by Andrei Neagoie and his team, this course will teach you to master SQL and Database Management & Design + exercises to give you real-world experience working with all database types.

Here are the key things you will learn in this course:

How to create your own databases while using SQL to interact with the dataLearn how to handle user passwords and keep data safeAdvanced SQL topics like indexes, aggregates, caching to make your database queries efficient

The course is fully hands-on and there are tons of exercises to practice what you learn and test your knowledge. You will also learn how Machine Learning, Data Science and Data Engineers use Big Data and databases.

Here is the link to join this course — Complete SQL + Databases Bootcamp: Zero to Mastery [2020]

Btw, you would need a ZTM membership to watch this course which costs around $29 per month but also provides access to many super engaging and useful courses like this Python course and this JavaScript project course.

If you are a constant learner like me then I suggest you go for membership than buying a single course, you will not only save money but also it makes learning easy, as you don’t need to buy courses every time you want to learn something new.

9. An Introductory Guide to SQL

This is an interactive course to learn SQL on Educative, an interactive coding and learning platform.

In this course, you will become familiar with one of the most popular and in-demand RDBMS — MySQL. You will start by covering the basics of SQL such as how to create a database, how to insert, query, and update data.

You will also learn fundamental concepts that developers and data scientists use every day such as multi-table operations, nested queries, and how to set up views.

Throughout, you will get to execute SQL queries in your browser and see results in real-time- you won’t need to worry about any setup.

At the end of this course, you’ll also get some hands-on practice with common SQL interview questions, so when the time comes, you’ll be ready and confident to answer any question that comes your way. Let’s get started!

Here is the link to join this course —An Introductory Guide to SQL

And, if you find Educative platform interactive useful then you can also consider getting an Educative Subscription which provides access to their 100+ courses in just $18 per month. It’s very cost-effective and great for preparing for coding interviews.

Upskilling doesn't have to be a struggle. Get full access to all + courses with Educative Unlimited, and gain the tools…www.educative.io

These are some of the best online courses to learn SQL and Database fundamentals. These are excellent SQL courses for both beginners and experienced programmers who don’t know SQL.

Since SQL skills are always in demand and, in fact, mandatory along with other programming skills, a good knowledge of SQL will not only help you to get a better job but will also help in your current day-to-day tasks.

Other Useful programming Resources you may like to explore are:

Top 5 Courses to Learn Python in 2018
5 Machine Learning and Data Science Courses in 2018
5 Free Course to Learn Big Data, Hadoop, and Spark

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these SQL courses, then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a comment.

P.S — If you are looking for some FREE Courses to start learning Database and SQL basics, then you should check out my list of FREE Database and SQL Courses.