SQL: A Practical Introduction for Querying Databases
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.
Status: Query Languages
Query Languages
Status: IBM DB2
IBM DB2
Beginner·Course·21 hours
Featured reviews
4.0
·Reviewed Dec 27, 2022
This course is very useful and straightforward. Unfortunately, I couldn't download my Honor Certificate although I completed and passed all the courses including the extra to get the Honor
5.0
·Reviewed 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.RegardsSaiful.
5.0
·Reviewed Dec 20, 2022
Amazing course. Abosolutelly recommended for those who begin in the study of databases. This course gives you an excellent introduction to SQL.
5.0
·Reviewed Aug 18, 2023
Hi Coursera,This is a good course, I got SQL Knowledge with practical excercises.Thanks Coursera.
5.0
·Reviewed Sep 12, 2024
Very insightful for extending my knowledge. Thank you very much. Please fix the audio and subtitle synchonization in some videos.
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 26, 2024
Super easy to follow for a beginner. I tried three other courses where I just wasn't getting it I got to this one and knocked it out non stop. Thanks!!!
5.0
·Reviewed Apr 24, 2023
Excellent course, good range of examples, enjoyed course; good grounding and development in the fundamentals of Querying databases
4.0
·Reviewed 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.
5.0
·Reviewed Oct 2, 2024
The clear explanations, exemplars, and activities helped me understand SQL, even for someone like me who has no IT background.
4.0
·Reviewed Mar 24, 2024
Solid but I wish there was more interaction, not just a monologue. It teaches you the basics, but some more in-depth explanations and personalization would go a long way.
4.0
·Reviewed Sep 25, 2025
I learned a lot from this course. The hands-on activities and labs were the most useful, while the videos were quite lackluster and not particularly instructive.
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 3, 2025
Empecé de 0 con SQL y este curso me enseñó desde lo básico hasta comandos un poco más complicados.
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R
Rachel
3.0
·Reviewed Nov 28, 2022
The videos were incredibly basic and didn't require as much practice as expected with real data and querying capabilities overall. It gave you the answer directly instead of a process of elimination. I would have liked more exercises overall with each concept introduced.
S
Spencer
1.0
·Reviewed Oct 31, 2023
This is not instructor taught its just a text to voice that i can get anywhere
L
LUIS
5.0
·Reviewed Dec 21, 2022
Amazing course. Abosolutelly recommended for those who begin in the study of databases. This course gives you an excellent introduction to SQL.
A
Anthony
4.0
·Reviewed Jan 3, 2024
Some of the labs were tedious to get started with because I had to re-create and import data again and again - it may have been my error but maybe a quick module showing how to set up and let these practice data sets persist in the very beginning would be good!
M
Mina
1.0
·Reviewed Jun 11, 2024
Difficult to install, dropping the course.
N
Nik
5.0
·Reviewed Nov 26, 2023
This course really an eye-opener for me regarding fundamental of SQL and hands-on problem solving and thought me about critical thinking. Really recommended for those to learn about SQL. Thanks so much!
S
Shanna
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 27, 2024
Super easy to follow for a beginner. I tried three other courses where I just wasn't getting it I got to this one and knocked it out non stop. Thanks!!!
H
Harley-Payj
5.0
·Reviewed Aug 20, 2024
loved the course. Had a few typos that need updated, but the material and how it was covered was really nice. some challenging learning curves in the labs. All in all I felt I learned a lot.
M
Mukhammedrakhim
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 13, 2024
This is the best SQL course I've ever taken! It has tons of hands-on labs, the theory is explained clearly, and you even get to work with IBM DB2.
M
Mammu
5.0
·Reviewed Aug 19, 2023
Hi Coursera,
This is a good course, I got SQL Knowledge with practical excercises.
Thanks Coursera.
D
Diego
4.0
·Reviewed Mar 24, 2024
Solid but I wish there was more interaction, not just a monologue. It teaches you the basics, but some more in-depth explanations and personalization would go a long way.
K
Karen
5.0
·Reviewed May 19, 2025
Excelente curso, lo mejor es que permite manipular una DB desde los aplicativos, que son manipulables y entendibles, lo cual lo hace demasiado interesante porque uno aprende mediante la práctica.
H
Hanna
5.0
·Reviewed Sep 4, 2024
Great course for the beginners! Clear explanations and concrete examples, this course helped me to learn SQL from scratch for my daily work purposes.
W
Wale
5.0
·Reviewed Apr 25, 2023
Excellent course, good range of examples, enjoyed course; good grounding and development in the fundamentals of Querying databases
A
Anteneh
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 29, 2023
I have gotten a solid knowledge of SQL script writing with a great explanation and friendly lab assistant.
I
IDVEGA
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 3, 2025
Empecé de 0 con SQL y este curso me enseñó desde lo básico hasta comandos un poco más complicados.
P
Prateek
5.0
·Reviewed Dec 21, 2022
Best SQL course with a practical assignments to sharpen your skills and knowledge.
M
Mee
5.0
·Reviewed Nov 17, 2023
very practical and easy to follow
D
Dave
5.0
·Reviewed Aug 18, 2023
Great course
H
Harshit
4.0
·Reviewed Jun 29, 2023
Wanted to give 4.5 stars but there was no option like this was an amazing course for any beginners. Anybody who want to use Sql in any form should take this course as a revision. There are two languages being used namely Mysql and H2 from IBM database. Course focuses on practical part rather than theory although some of the theory part is being taken care of.