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Courses >
Database Management & Programming > Introduction to SQL
 Learn the key concepts of Structured Query Language (SQL) and gain a solid working knowledge of this powerful and universal database programming language. You'll learn the basic structure of relational databases, how to read and write simple and complex SQL statements, and advanced data manipulation techniques.
This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Cecelia Allison.
 Cecelia Allison is an experienced software tester and technical support specialist with many years of hands-on experience using and teaching SQL. She is also a freelance Web master, published author, and a university instructor. Mrs. Allison holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems.
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Requirements:
Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader). any type of computer with a Windows Operating System, and any desktop (standalone, not required to run over a server) Database Management System (DBMS) that supports the execution of Structured Query Language (SQL). Examples include Microsoft Access, SQL Server Personal Edition, SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE), SQL Server Evaluation Edition and Developer Edition, Oracle Personal Edition. Or any client/server (required to run over a server) database management system that is connected to a server and supports the execution of Structured Query Language. Examples include MySQL, Sybase, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Server Enterprise Edition and Standard Edition.
Syllabus:
All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
In our first lesson, we'll explore the basic structure and history of relational databases. Then, you'll understand what SQL is and how it is used with a relational database.
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| Friday - Lesson 02 |
In this lesson, you'll learn how to use SQL to sort and retrieve data from tables. We'll talk about important query terms that enable you to communicate with your database, as well as syntax rules that will enable you to create clear and understandable queries while avoiding system generated errors.
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
In this lesson, you'll learn how to use SQL to filter retrieved data. You'll practice sorting retrieved data using the ORDER BY clause. You'll be able to sort single and multiple columns, and you'll know how to specify sort directions such as ascending and descending order. You'll also learn additional query terms that will help you customize your SQL queries.
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| Friday - Lesson 04 |
Today, you'll learn how to reformat retrieved data with calculated fields and functions. You'll also learn how to create alternate names for columns and you'll discover the secret behind merging columns with the concatenation symbol.
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
In this lesson, we'll discuss gathering significant statistics from data using aggregate functions. You'll also learn how to use the GROUP BY clause in conjunction with an aggregate function to gather important statistics from a table. Then you'll find out how to use the HAVING clause in conjunction with an aggregate function to filter groups of data from a table.
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
Today's lesson is all about subqueries. You'll learn how to extract data from multiple tables simultaneously, how to use calculated fields in subqueries, how to use the DATEPART () function in subqueries, and how to use aggregate functions in subqueries. Then we'll talk about qualification—a technique used to combine a table name with a column name so there's no question about which table the column name refers to.
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
In this lesson, you'll learn how to use joins to gather information from two or more tables simultaneously. You'll learn how to use the inner join, self-join, natural join, and the outer join. Then you'll become familiar with the term Cartesian product.
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| Friday - Lesson 08 |
In today's lesson, you'll discover how to manipulate data using the INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements. You'll learn how to insert partial and complete rows into a table, and how to update information already stored in a table. You find out how to transfer data to a new table, how to transfer data to an existing table, and how to delete rows from a table.
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
Today, you'll find out how SQL can be used to create and maintain tables. You'll learn how to use the CREATE TABLE keywords to create a table, then we'll discuss how to use the ALTER TABLE, DROP TABLE, ADD COLUMN, and DROP COLUMN keywords to manipulate the tables themselves. You'll also find out how to define a primary key, data type, and field size.
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| Friday - Lesson 10 |
In this lesson, you'll learn how and why views are used in SQL. You'll learn how to create and use views to simplify complex queries, summarize data, and manipulate data stored in tables. I'll also teach you how to update and delete a view.
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
Today, you'll learn how transaction processing, constraints, and indexes are implemented in SQL. You'll work through an example that demonstrates how a transaction is created, how constraints are used in the creation of a table, and how indexes are used to improve the performance of a database by optimizing the speed at which queries are processed.
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| Friday - Lesson 12 |
In our last lesson, you'll find out how stored procedures, triggers, and cursors are implemented in SQL. You'll see how stored procedures are created and executed, as well as how triggers work. You'll also see how cursors are declared in SQL.
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To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Student Reviews:
"Cecelia did a fine job in presenting the material and backing it up with examples. The assignments and questions on the quizzes were also appropriate. Enjoyed it!"
"Excellent course, I now feel more comfortable with SQL and will be able to use a lot of the course material for the databases that I have to manage."
"I really liked the format of this course. It is a great introduction to the principles of SQL and I feel ready to take on using the language in my work. Thanks!"
"I really wanted to thank Ms. Allison for conducting this course. I have tried to take an SQL course before but had to quit as the instructor taught so far above my head I could not understand the subject matter. This course was broken down into small bites and the quizzes and assignments helped to bring the concept home! I have enjoyed this course and would consider taking another course like this. I have already recommended this course to a friend who has also taken it. We both are very happy with the results. Thanks Again."
"It made me feel good to know that Cecelia Allison is an expert on this subject. I bought both of her books and I have learned a lot. Her style of teaching makes learning easy and fun. I feel very fortunate to have learned from such an expert in the field."
"It was a great class! It not only gave me the knowledge of SQL, but it also improved my abilities in other applications such as MS Access and MS Excel. The instructor presented the subject matter in a perfect balance of technical and practical. It was evident to me she has educational and in-the-field expert experience. She is also personable and helpful."
"The course gave me a 'challenging' introduction to SQL. It introduced two types of databases that I had not previously used:Microsoft Access and SQL Query 7. The examples and assignments reinforced what had been taught in previous lessons. Thank you. I not only learned a great deal but had a good time."
"This course will be so much help to me in my job as a mainframe computer operator! Thank you so much for offering it!"
"Very nice introduction to SQL. This helped me gain a better basic understanding of things I'd been tampering with for several years. I could probably have saved myself many frustrating hours having taken a course like this a couple years back."
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
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