As a data professional, it is important to continuously improve your skills in databases and SQL. Here’s why.
While querying databases with SQL may be sufficient for some projects, understanding database internals, data models, and database design is essential for building robust systems and applications.
Although you can learn SQL on your own, having a structured curriculum can make it easier to grasp database concepts. To help you with this, we have compiled a list of free databases and SQL courses from top universities around the world.
The Introduction to Databases course at Cornell University covers various important topics, from SQL basics to NoSQL and NewSQL systems. Here is an overview of the topics covered:
SQL
Storing and indexing
Relational data processing
Transaction processing
Database design
Distributed data processing
Beyond relational data
Course link: Database Systems – Cornell University Course (SQL, NoSQL, Large-Scale Data Analysis) and Part 2 of the course.
The Introduction to Databases with SQL or CS50 SQL course at Harvard University is a great resource for learning SQL and relational database fundamentals.
The course includes seven weeks of curriculum focusing on working with relational databases, covering modules such as:
Querying
Relating
Designing
Writing
Viewing
Optimizing
Scaling
Course link: CS50’s Introduction to Databases with SQL
The Databases course by Prof. Jennifer Widom at Stanford is now available as a series of five self-paced courses on edX, which can be audited for free.
If you are new to databases, it is recommended to start with the first course on relational databases before moving on to more advanced topics. The individual courses in this series cover a wide range of topics.
Courses link:
Databases: Relational Databases and SQL
Databases: Advanced Topics in SQL
Databases: OLAP and Recursion
Databases: Modeling and Theory
Databases: Semistructured Data
If you want to delve deeper into database internals, Intro to Database Systems and Advanced Database Systems at Carnegie Mellon University are excellent resources.
The Intro to Database Systems course covers topics such as:
Relational model and algebra
Database storage and compression
Database memory and disk I/O management
Query execution
Database logging
Distributed database systems
Course link: Intro to Database Systems
For those interested in database engineering or related fields, understanding modern OLAP databases is crucial. The Advanced Database Systems course delves into database internals, covering topics such as:
Modern OLAP databases
Storage models
Query execution
Advanced algorithms
Databases internals of various platforms
Course link: Advanced Database Systems
Whether you are just starting your career or looking to deepen your understanding of databases, these courses offer a comprehensive learning experience. Happy learning!
Bala Priya C is a developer and technical writer from India, with a passion for math, programming, data science, and content creation. Her expertise includes DevOps, data science, and natural language processing. She enjoys reading, writing, coding, and coffee, and is dedicated to sharing her knowledge with the developer community through tutorials, guides, and opinion pieces.
