A new session of each course opens each month, allowing you to enroll whenever your busy schedule permits!
How does it work? Once a session starts, two lessons will be released each week, for the six-week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends.
Keep in mind that the interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes 2 weeks after each lesson is released, so you’re encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
The Final Exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the Final Exam has been released, you will have 2 weeks plus 10 days to complete the Final and finish any remaining lessons in your course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.
Week One
Lesson 01 - Introduction to Database Design and SQL
Wednesday
In this introductory lesson, you will examine database terms and concepts. Understanding the purpose of a database is foundational to writing efficient SQL queries that retrieve the right data.
Lesson 02 - SQL Server
Friday
In this lesson, you will install SQL Server Express and the SQL Server Management Studio to use throughout the course in your learn-by-doing practices. You will use SQL code to create one of the tables for the practice database in SQL Server.
Week Two
Lesson 03 - Retrieving Data Result-Sets
Wednesday
SQL queries are the statements used to retrieve data from the database. Queries are written in a specific, logical order. In this lesson, you will explore various ways to write SQL queries to retrieve data that meet defined criteria.
Lesson 04 - Sorting Data
Friday
SQL queries are defined and written to retrieve data in a certain order. Queries are also written to limit columns and to filter data rows. In this lesson, you will practice writing queries that meet defined criteria and retrieve the expected result-sets.
Week Three
Lesson 05 - Designing SQL Data Tables
Wednesday
This lesson is about designing SQL data tables for a database. You will explore the relationship concept and how it is used in an RDBMS. You will define tables that are structured according to RDBMS standards. You will also create the tables to add to your practice database.
Lesson 06 - Designing Data Rows
Friday
In this lesson, you will add data to your newly defined tables. You will explore several methods of adding data to a table and practice writing and executing these query statements. After adding several individual rows to the tables, you will use a SQL query to populate your tables with enough data rows to use in the learn-by-doing practices in this course.
Week Four
Lesson 07 - Getting Data From Two Tables
Wednesday
SQL JOIN statements are used to retrieve data from more than one table. In this lesson, you will practice writing JOIN statements that retrieve data from tables that have a relationship between their PKs and FKs.
Lesson 08 - Retrieving Data From Multiple Tables
Friday
In this lesson, you will continue writing JOIN statements that retrieve data result-sets from more than one table. You will also examine how and when to use SQL subquery statements to retrieve data from multiple tables. You will practice defining and writing JOIN and subquery queries.
Week Five
Lesson 09 - Keeping the Database Up to Date
Wednesday
The quality of the data in the database depends on its integrity, including the concepts of data accuracy and consistency. In this lesson, you will explore writing queries to maintain the database so that it is up to date with data that is accurate, consistent, and has integrity.
Lesson 10 - Aggregate Functions
Friday
In this lesson, you will examine the concept of aggregate functions and how they are used in query statements to examine multiple rows. Aggregate functions are a method of retrieving summarized data that is useful for analysis.
Week Six
Lesson 11 - SQL Views
Wednesday
SQL views are an important concept in database design and in using databases. In this lesson, you will explore designing and writing queries to create views. You will also explore the reason they are valuable for database security and database access.
Lesson 12 - Maximize Database Integrity and Performance
Friday
Constraints are one way to maximize the integrity of the database and minimize the opportunity for user error. Indexes are used for increasing the performance of a data query. In this lesson, you will explore both these concepts.