The course is built around real-world application. Students work on realistic scenarios and datasets throughout, not just abstract exercises. The final 10 lessons are dedicated to a full Capstone Project where students design, build, populate, and query an original database system for a real-world use case — then present their work in a structured walkthrough. Graduates leave not just knowing SQL, but understanding how data is organized, protected, and leveraged in the systems that power modern life.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand what databases are, how they work, and why they are essential to every modern application

• Install and navigate MySQL via the command line with confidence

• Write complete SQL queries using SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE (full CRUD operations)

• Filter, sort, and query data precisely using WHERE, ORDER BY, LIKE, BETWEEN, and other clauses

• Apply string, numeric, date, and aggregate functions to analyze and transform data

• Design relational database schemas using primary keys, foreign keys, and relationship types

• Combine data from multiple tables using INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, and FULL OUTER JOINs

• Write advanced subqueries and nested queries to retrieve complex, multi-level data

• Normalize databases to 3NF to eliminate redundancy and improve data integrity

• Implement views, transactions, indexes, user management, and backup strategies for real-world database administration

• Design, build, populate, and present a complete database system for a real-world scenario as a capstone project