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SQL Basics
Learn SQL from scratch with hands-on practice and a built-in AI tutor.
Absolute beginner · 6 course parts · 6 capstone projects · Certificate included.
Original price was: USD$50.00.USD$15.99Current price is: USD$15.99. /month
Self-paced online course · No prior SQL experience required.
Self-paced access
Hands-on SQL practice
SQL Basics Course Learning Features
Learn by Doing
Every part runs on the same four real tables — no lecture-only modules, no disconnected examples.
Built-In AI Code Editor
Write and run SQL directly in the course, with AI prompting built into the editor so you practice live, not just read about it.
AI Tutor, On Demand
Stuck on a query? The built-in AI tutor gives guided hints and asks you questions to get you unstuck — it won't just hand you the answer.
Learn Visually
Every query is broken down with diagrams and side-by-side comparisons — not just syntax to memorize.
Learn SQL Basics for Data Analytics and Job-Ready Skills
SQL Basics uses four small, easy-to-understand tables — students, courses, enrollments, and attendance — so every part can focus entirely on the SQL concept being taught, not on decoding unfamiliar data. What sets this course apart is how it teaches: every query is broken down visually, with diagrams, workflow charts, and side-by-side comparisons, so SQL feels less like code to memorize and more like a language for asking questions.
Why start with SQL basics?
SQL is a foundational skill for many data analyst, business analyst, business intelligence, reporting, and data-focused technology roles. This course is designed to help you understand the core logic first, then practice it repeatedly so you are better prepared to progress into more advanced SQL and workplace-style analysis.
Skills you'll gain
- Retrieving and choosing columns with SELECT and FROM
- Filtering rows with WHERE — numbers, text, dates, AND/OR, IN, BETWEEN, LIKE, and NULL
- Combining tables with INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, FULL, and SELF JOIN
- Summarizing data with GROUP BY and COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX
- Filtering summarized results with HAVING
Hands-on learning
- Write and run every query in the built-in AI-assisted code editor — no separate setup
- Practice on the same four real tables throughout the whole course
- Guided exercises after every part to reinforce the concept immediately
- Ask the built-in AI tutor for a nudge when you're stuck — it guides you, not gives you the answer
- Finish each part with its own hands-on capstone project — six in total
Who should take this course
- Complete beginners with no prior coding or database experience
- Career changers preparing for data, analytics, or BI roles
- Students who want a foundation before SQL AI-Assisted or SQL Joins
- Anyone who's tried to learn SQL before and found it too abstract
Prerequisites
- None — this course assumes zero prior experience
- No coding background needed
- No database or spreadsheet experience required
SQL Basics Curriculum: SELECT, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY and HAVING
Six parts, each introducing one keyword in sequence — SELECT, FROM, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY, HAVING — so every concept builds directly on the one before it.
What SQL is and how it thinks. The full SQL workflow is introduced as a mental model before any syntax is touched — building intuition that makes every part after this one easier to absorb.
- What is SQL and how does it work?
- Tables, rows, and columns
- The SELECT → FROM → WHERE → JOIN → GROUP BY → HAVING workflow
- Why this workflow matters
- Capstone 1: Query Roadmap
The two keywords that start every SQL query ever written. Choosing which columns to retrieve, and naming which table the data comes from.
- Choosing columns with SELECT
- Naming the data source with FROM
- Selecting all columns vs. specific columns
- Practice: retrieving student and course data
- Capstone 2: Course Catalog Pull
Keeping only the rows that match a condition — the full toolkit for precise data filtering.
- Numeric and text comparisons
- Date filtering
- AND / OR logic
- IN, BETWEEN, and LIKE
- Handling NULL values
- Capstone 3: Active Student Filter
Connecting tables using shared keys — the point where SQL becomes genuinely powerful for answering multi-table questions.
- INNER JOIN — matching rows only
- LEFT JOIN — all left, matching right
- RIGHT JOIN — all right, matching left
- FULL JOIN — everything from both
- SELF JOIN — connecting a table to itself
- Capstone 4: Student-Course Connection Report
Grouping rows by a column and calculating summaries — how SQL answers analytical questions about patterns and totals.
- GROUP BY with COUNT
- GROUP BY with SUM
- GROUP BY with AVG
- GROUP BY with MIN and MAX
- Grouping by multiple columns
- Why GROUP BY needs an aggregate
- Capstone 5: Enrollment Summary
The final step in the beginner workflow. Used when WHERE isn't enough and the filter needs to apply to summarized results instead of raw rows.
- Why HAVING exists
- Filtering on aggregated values
- WHERE vs. HAVING — when to use each
- Capstone 6: Popular Courses Report
6 Hands-On SQL Capstone Projects — One After Every Part
Not one capstone at the end — a real deliverable at the close of every part, so each new keyword gets proven immediately instead of waiting until the finish line.
1
Part 1
Query Roadmap
Given a real business question, map out which SQL keywords you'd need and in what order — before writing a single line of code.
- The 6-step SQL workflow
- Query planning
2
Part 2
Course Catalog Pull
Retrieve and select specific student and course columns — your first real query, written from scratch.
- SELECT
- FROM
3
Part 3
Active Student Filter
Filter a full student roster down to a precise subset using multiple combined WHERE conditions.
- WHERE + AND/OR
- IN, BETWEEN, LIKE
4
Part 4
Student-Course Connection Report
Combine two tables to answer a question neither one could answer alone — the moment SQL clicks for most beginners.
- INNER & LEFT JOIN
- Shared keys
5
Part 5
Enrollment Summary
Turn raw enrollment rows into grade-level summaries — counts, totals, and averages grouped the way a real report would need.
- GROUP BY
- COUNT, SUM, AVG
6
Part 6
Popular Courses Report
Filter grouped summaries down to only the patterns that matter — the final step that ties all six parts together.
- HAVING
- WHERE vs. HAVING
See How SQL Is Taught: Visual, Practical and Beginner-Friendly
Every part follows the same hands-on pattern. Here's an excerpt from Part 5: GROUP BY — the actual concept explanation and worked examples students work through in the course editor.
Part 5 · GROUP BY — Turning Rows into Summaries
Up to now, SQL has been showing you individual rows. But sometimes you don't want the raw rows — you want summaries. Think of GROUP BY like sorting laundry into piles: you group similar items together so you can count them, total them, or average them.
Worked example
Question: How many students are in each grade level?
SELECT grade_level,
COUNT(*) AS student_count
FROM students
GROUP BY grade_level;
-- Groups students by grade, then counts how many are in each group
The most common beginner mistake
GROUP BY must always be paired with an aggregate like COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, or MAX. Without one, SQL doesn't know what to show for each group.
✕ WON'T WORK
SELECT grade_level, first_name
FROM students
GROUP BY grade_level;
FROM students
GROUP BY grade_level;
✓ CORRECT
SELECT grade_level, COUNT(*)
FROM students
GROUP BY grade_level;
FROM students
GROUP BY grade_level;
SQL groups by grade_level, but there are multiple names per group — it has no rule to pick just one, so it doesn't know what to show. Adding COUNT(*) gives it a clear summary to calculate instead.
SQL Basics Course Format, Practice and Certificate
Format100% self-paced, online
Curriculum6 parts, SELECT through HAVING
AccessOngoing with active subscription
CertificateCertificate of completion, Canadian Institute of Artificial Intelligence
PracticeEmbedded AI-assisted code editor in every part
AI TutorIncluded — guided hints on every task
Capstones6 hands-on projects, one per part
PrerequisitesNone — built for absolute beginners
Frequently Asked Questions
No. SQL Basics is built for absolute beginners — no coding, database, or spreadsheet experience required. Part 1 introduces how SQL thinks before you write a single line of code.
The same four small, easy-to-understand tables — students, courses, enrollments, and attendance — appear throughout every part. Keeping the dataset consistent means you spend your energy learning the SQL concept, not decoding new data each time.
The built-in AI tutor is available on every task. Ask it what's wrong and it responds with a guided hint or question — not the direct answer — so you build the debugging skill instead of just copying a fix.
Yes. There is a hands-on project after every part of the course — six projects in total. Each project gives you an immediate opportunity to apply the material you just learned, check your understanding, and build confidence before moving to the next SQL concept. By the end, you will have practised the full beginner workflow from understanding query structure through SELECT, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY and HAVING.
Most learners complete the six parts in 3–5 weeks at a few hours per week. Since the course is self-paced, you can move faster or slower based on your schedule.
Yes. On completion, you'll receive a certificate of completion from the Canadian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (CiAI) that you can add to your resume or LinkedIn profile.
SQL Basics teaches the concepts visually — diagrams, workflow breakdowns, and side-by-side comparisons for every query, so you build a mental model before relying on syntax alone. SQL Beginner is the next step after this course. Full progression: SQL Beginner → SQL Intermediate → SQL Advance → SQL AI-Assisted.
Yes. The course is billed monthly, and you can cancel at any time without losing access to material you've already completed.
Continue Building Your SQL Skills
Meet the Creator of the Course
Learn from an educator who works across data science, machine learning, AI, analytics, and applied business problems.
Dr. Mark Lokanan
Professor · Data Scientist · Machine Learning & AI Specialist
Dr. Mark Lokanan is a professor at Royal Roads University and a data scientist and machine learning specialist whose work spans advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and applied data-driven research. He also serves in a senior machine learning role at Vedia Cloud Analytics, where the company develops AI, analytics, fraud-detection, and technology solutions. His academic and industry experience helps shape a course that emphasizes understanding SQL concepts, practising them hands-on, and building a foundation learners can carry into data and analytics work.
SQL Basics Course Assistant
Hi! I’m the SQL Basics Course Assistant. Ask me about the course, who it is for, curriculum, projects, learning format, AI tutor, certificate, price, DataSoSi, CiAI, support, or where to find more information.