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SQL Foundation Course Outline

Course Length

1 day (short version) or 2 days (preferred, full version)

Who should attend

Much of the world’s valuable data is locked away in databases and SQL is the key to unlocking it. This course is for people who need to extract this data into their analyses and projects.

Learning Objectives

Attendees will be able to write basic SQL statements to extract data from databases and be able to specify exactly what data is required and transform it into the shape needed for their business purposes.

Pre-requisites

None. This is an introduction course.

Course Content

Introduction to SQL and databases. Why is SQL important?

SQL SELECT Basics. The structure of a simple SELECT statement: the column list, WHERE, ORDER BY and GROUP BY clauses.

• Filter data with the WHERE clause. Use the WHERE clause to get exactly the rows that you require from an (often very large) table.
• Summarise data with the GROUP BY clause and aggregation functions: e.g. COUNT, SUM, AVG.
• Filter aggregated results with the HAVING clause.
• Sort data with the ORDER BY clause
• Create calculated columns
• Join tables to return a dataset that combines data from more than one table.

Some common, useful SQL functions and operations: e.g. ROUND, TRIM. Useful date-related functions (DATEADD, DATEPART, DATEDIFF) and date arithmetic.

Understand the structure of databases: tables (columns, data types, nullability, cardinality, primary keys) and relationships between tables (common columns, foreign keys, referential integrity).

A few comments from attendees of previous courses

“It was a great introduction to SQL. I’m looking forward to building on the knowledge gained. Mark is an excellent tutor. He made sure everyone was carried along. I’m looking forward to the intermediate course.

“Mark explained things clearly, I feel I have an understanding of the basics in SQL, and look forward to the next training.”

“Mark was very attentive, and informative. Give him a raise!”

“Mark is a great instructor! I like his training style.”