The 6 Best Courses to Learn SQL in 2024 (read this first)

Hello guys, I have been sharing some free programming resources e.g. books and courses in this blog for quite some time. Earlier I have shared free courses on Java, Maven, Spring, and Data Structure and Algorithms and today I'll share some of the free online training courses to learn SQL and Database.

In case you are wondering why should you learn SQL?

Well, it's one of the must-have skills for programmers, application developers, and IT professionals. Like Linux, this is one skill that is going to serve you longer than any other programming language, framework, or library.

The SQL is used to interact with Database Systems like Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server.

As per ANSI (American National Standards Institute), SQL stands for the Standard Query language for Relational Database Management Systems. SQL is one of the important programming languages to interact with various Database Systems for many decades.

While many languages that existed two decades ago are extinct now, SQL has always maintained its supremacy in the RDBMS world. Over time, it has only advanced with new features and standards.

And it seems to stay that way for years to come. Most real-world applications use relational data in one way or another and SQL is the query language to work with those data.

It allows you to query data to find what you are interested in. For example, if you are working for an e-commerce giant like Amazon then you can pull out the best-selling items by writing an SQL query.

Similarly if you are working as a Data Analysis then you can pull and normalize data using SQL. It's also one of the most required skills for all kind of development and support jobs.

Good knowledge of SQL needs to effectively do your job. It helps you to understand the data, an important part of your application as well as during troubleshooting.

Btw, If you don't mind investing a few bucks on your learning then I also suggest you check out The SQL Bootcamp course by Jose Portilla on Udemy. It's a very hands-on and comprehensive course and very affordable too. I bought it for just $10 on the Udemy sale.

5 Best FREE Courses to Learn Database and SQL Online in 2024

In this article, I am going to share free courses that will help you to learn the basics of SQL and Databases. You will learn how to write SQL queries, both basic and advanced like using joins and aggregate functions, etc. I have also included a course on Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server, two of the most popular database of the modern world which enhance SQL with some proprietary features.

1. Introduction to Databases and SQL Querying [Free]

This is an introductory course on Databases and SQL Querying. There are no pre-requisites for this course. If you are looking to get acquainted with the concept of Databases and Queries for maybe your next interview as an analyst, this is the right course for you.

In this course, you will learn about writing simple queries including queries related to Dates, String manipulation, Aggregation, etc. The advanced concepts like joining multiple tables are not covered but you get a good idea of SQL to explore further yourself.

In short, a good SQL course for beginners with absolutely no experience in databases or programming. Apart from DBA and Application developers, BA, QA, and other people who want to learn SQL can use this course.

Here is the link to join this course for FREE - Introduction to Databases and SQL Querying

2. Databases and SQL for Data Science with Python [Free to Audit]

This is another great course to learn SQL for Data Science and Software Development on Coursera. This will course will not only teach you SQL basics like DDL, DML, Normalization but also essential SQL commands like SELECT, CREATE, UPDATE, and DELETE.

The course explains working with string patterns, ranges, ORDER, GROUP clauses, and built-in database functions and its also part of IBM Data Science Professional Certificate, one of the popular certificate on Coursera.

More importantly, it goes beyond basics to cover advanced topics, including Stored Procedures, Views, ACID Transactions, and Inner & Outer JOINs through hands-on labs and projects.

By going through this course you will gain practical experience accessing databases using Jupyter notebooks with SQL and Python, reinforcing your skills with real-world applications and datasets on the Cloud.

Talking about social proof, more than 435,000 people have already joined htis course and with a 4.6 rating from over 18,000 reviews, the course proves to be highly rated, offering a flexible schedule and a shareable certificate upon completion, making it an excellent choice for those interested in data analysis.

Here is the link to join this course for FREE - Databases and SQL for Data Science with Python

3. SQL Foundations [Free]

This is another great online course to learn SQL basics, particularly how to write SQL queries on Microsoft SQL Server. The trainer, Sagar Uppuluri, who is an application developer and a trainer has done a good job of explaining tricky concepts like joins to beginners.

In this course, you will not only learn about SQL joins but also how to write aggregation-based queries and how to do backups and restores.

The course uses SQL Server 2014 express and all the scripts which are used for the course are also available for download to make your learning better.

In short, good SQL overview courses for students and programmers starting the first time with SQL and Database.

Here is the link to join this course for FREE - SQL Foundations

4. Advanced Databases and SQL Querying [FREE Course]

This course is an advanced T-SQL Querying course for programmers who have basic Ideas of SQL and Microsoft SQL Server. It expects that you are already aware of basic database concepts and are comfortable writing basic T-SQL queries like SELECT, JOINS, etc.

This course covers advanced topics like views, triggers, dynamic queries, pivots, etc. If you looking for your next database job or trying to improve your existing SQL Server and T-SQL knowledge and apply it to your projects, this is the right course for you.

Here is the link to join this course for FREE - Advanced Databases and SQL Querying

5. Oracle SQL - A Complete Introduction [Free Udemy Course]

If you have worked with the database in real-world projects then you know that every vendor is different. Each vendor provides some additional functionalities or operators to SQL running on their system.

That's SQL query that runs on Oracle might not run on Microsoft SQL or MySQL, unless you are using ANSI SQL.

If you are thinking to learn SQL for the Oracle database then this is the right course for you. Oracle SQL is a little bit different than ANSI SQL and used for Oracle RDBMS, one of the leading relational databases in the world.

This is a beginner-level course and even if you are starting with SQL and database first time, you can join this course.

The author, Ben Brumm has plenty of IT experience in Database Support, IT Support, and teaching, which makes this course even more valuable.

Here is the link to join this course for FREE - Oracle SQL - A Complete Introduction

6. Introduction to database concepts - SQL Server [Free Udemy Tutorial]

Along with Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server is another popular relational database and it has its own SQL dialect T-SQL. It provides some useful functions and operators to standard SQL.

If you want to learn SQL in Microsoft SQL Server then this is the right course for you. In this free online training course, you will learn how to install SQL Server Express for free.

You will also learn how to create tables and add data to tables. Once you have your database ready you can start practicing SQL queries. Apart from standard SQL, the course also teaches you SQL Server stuff like:

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS, which allows you to learn T-SQL and DBA)
SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), which automates the conversion of data.
SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), which allows the creation of cubes, and
SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), which allows for the creation of reports.

This makes this course ideal for beginner DBAs as well as for programmers and application developers who use MSSQL.

Other Free Online Courses You May like to explore

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

P. S. - If you don't mind investing a few bucks on your learning then I also suggest you check out The Complete SQL Bootcamp 2024: Go from Zero to Hero by Jose Portilla and other experts from Pluralsight and Udemy. It's a very hands-on and comprehensive course and very affordable too. I bought it for just $10 on the Udemy sale.