SQL Beginner
Build a complete beginner SQL toolkit with hands-on practice and a built-in AI tutor.
Beginner · 6 course parts · 6 capstone projects · Certificate included.
SQL Beginner Course Learning Features
Learn by Doing
Write and run SQL throughout the course using realistic beginner-friendly data and practical questions.
Built-In AI-Assisted Editor
Practise SQL directly in the learning environment so you can focus on query logic instead of software setup.
AI Tutor, On Demand
Get guided hints when you are stuck. The tutor is designed to help you reason through problems rather than simply copy answers.
6 Capstone Projects
Complete one hands-on capstone after each part so every new group of SQL skills is applied before you move forward.
Build a Complete Beginner SQL Foundation
SQL Beginner moves beyond the first visual introduction and gives you a broader command set for working with real data. Six parts follow the natural progression of a query: retrieving rows, filtering precisely, handling missing values, summarizing data, combining tables, and applying advanced filtering logic.
Skills you'll gain
- Retrieve, filter, sort, and limit data with SELECT, DISTINCT, WHERE, ORDER BY, and LIMIT/TOP
- Use LIKE, wildcards, IN, and BETWEEN for more precise filtering
- Handle missing data with NULL, CASE, COALESCE, and IFNULL
- Summarize data with COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX, GROUP BY, and HAVING
- Combine tables and result sets with JOINs, SELF JOIN, UNION, and UNION ALL
- Use EXISTS and ANY to answer more advanced relational questions
Hands-on learning
- Write and run SQL in the built-in AI-assisted editor
- Practise with familiar tables such as students, courses, instructors, and enrollments
- Work through guided exercises and applied SQL questions
- Use the built-in AI tutor for task-specific guidance when you get stuck
- Complete six capstone projects — one immediately after every part
Who should take this course
- Learners ready to move beyond a first introduction into a fuller beginner SQL toolkit
- Career changers building practical SQL literacy for analytics and reporting work
- Business, social science, and non-technical learners who want structured SQL practice
- Learners preparing to progress into SQL Intermediate and SQL Advance
Prerequisites
- No formal prerequisite — no coding or database experience required
- SQL Basics is recommended first if you want the visual, concept-first introduction
- No prior AI tool experience is needed
SQL Beginner Curriculum: 6 Progressive Parts
Six parts follow the natural progression of real SQL work — from retrieving and filtering rows to handling missing values, summarizing data, combining tables, and applying advanced relational logic.
Build confidence with the commands that appear in everyday SQL queries.
- SELECT — choose the columns you want to return
- DISTINCT — remove duplicate values
- WHERE — filter rows
- ORDER BY — sort results
- SELECT TOP / LIMIT — restrict the number of rows
- Capstone 1: Student Records Retrieval Report
Extend WHERE with more expressive filtering tools and make queries easier to read and maintain.
- LIKE — match text patterns
- Wildcards — use % and _ placeholders
- IN — match a list of values
- BETWEEN — filter within a range
- Aliases — rename columns and tables
- Comments — document query logic
- Capstone 2: Precision Student Search
Recognize, filter, classify, and replace missing or special values before they reach a report.
- Understanding NULL — missing vs. zero vs. empty
- IS NULL and IS NOT NULL
- CASE — SQL conditional logic
- COALESCE and IFNULL — replace missing values
- Capstone 3: Missing Data Cleanup & Status Report
Turn rows into useful summaries and compare groups using common aggregate functions.
- COUNT, SUM, and AVG
- MIN and MAX
- GROUP BY — organize rows into groups
- Business summaries by category
- Capstone 4: Course Performance Summary
Connect related tables and stack compatible result sets to answer multi-table questions.
- INNER JOIN
- LEFT JOIN
- RIGHT JOIN
- FULL JOIN concepts
- SELF JOIN
- UNION — combine result sets
- Capstone 5: Student-Course Enrollment Report
Filter grouped results and test relational conditions using more advanced SQL logic.
- HAVING — filter groups after aggregation
- EXISTS — check whether related rows exist
- ANY — compare against a returned set
- UNION ALL — preserve all combined rows
- WHERE vs. HAVING — choose the right filter
- Capstone 6: Advanced Enrollment & Activity Audit
6 Hands-On SQL Capstone Projects — One After Every Part
Each part ends with a practical deliverable, so you apply the new SQL immediately instead of waiting until the end of the course.
Student Records Retrieval Report
Build a clean student-record query that selects the right fields, removes unnecessary duplicates, filters the required rows, sorts the result, and limits the final output.
- SELECT & DISTINCT
- WHERE
- ORDER BY & LIMIT
Precision Student Search
Turn a set of realistic search requirements into a readable SQL query using text patterns, ranges, lists, aliases, and comments.
- LIKE & wildcards
- IN & BETWEEN
- Aliases & comments
Missing Data Cleanup & Status Report
Identify missing values, classify records with CASE, and replace NULL values with clear reporting labels.
- IS NULL / IS NOT NULL
- CASE
- COALESCE / IFNULL
Course Performance Summary
Create a summary report that counts records and calculates grouped totals, averages, minimums, and maximums.
- COUNT / SUM / AVG
- MIN / MAX
- GROUP BY
Student-Course Enrollment Report
Combine related student, enrollment, and course data to answer questions that cannot be solved from one table alone.
- INNER & LEFT JOIN
- Other JOIN patterns
- UNION
Advanced Enrollment & Activity Audit
Build a final beginner-level audit that filters grouped results, checks whether related records exist, compares against returned sets, and combines outputs when needed.
- HAVING
- EXISTS & ANY
- UNION ALL
See How SQL Beginner Is Taught
Lessons combine a clear concept explanation, a worked SQL example, a common beginner mistake, and hands-on practice in the course editor. Here is a short example from Part 3.
A NULL value represents missing or unknown data. It is not the same as zero or an empty string, so SQL uses special operators when you need to find missing values.
A common beginner mistake
WHERE email = NULL;
WHERE email IS NULL;
Worked example: replace a missing value
COALESCE returns the first non-NULL value it finds, making it useful for producing cleaner reports when fields are missing.
SQL Beginner Course Format, Practice and Certificate
Frequently Asked Questions
No formal prerequisite is required. No coding or database experience is needed. SQL Basics is recommended first for learners who want a visual, concept-first introduction.
SQL Basics is a visual introduction to the core query workflow. SQL Beginner is broader and more command-focused, covering retrieval, pattern matching, NULL handling, conditional logic, aggregation, joins, and advanced filtering across six parts.
There are six hands-on capstone projects, one after each course part.
The course uses familiar education-related tables such as students, courses, instructors, and enrollments so learners can focus on SQL rather than decoding a complicated dataset.
The built-in AI tutor provides guided hints and questions to help you reason through the SQL instead of simply handing you the final answer.
Most learners can work through the six parts in about four to six weeks at a few hours per week. The course is self-paced.
Yes. Learners who complete the course receive a certificate of completion from the Canadian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (CiAI).
SQL Intermediate is the next course, followed by SQL Advance for more advanced SQL analytics work.
The course price shown on this page is US$15.99 per month. Use the single enrollment area at the top of the page to continue.
For current policy details, visit the DataSoSi FAQ page or Contact Us.
Yes. Visit the About CiAI page on DataSoSi to learn more about the Canadian Institute of Artificial Intelligence.
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 Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Vedia. His work spans data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, analytics, financial crime, and applied research. Drawing on both academic and industry experience, he designed the SQL Beginner course to emphasize practical SQL skills, hands-on problem solving, careful interpretation of data, and the analytical thinking learners need for business, data analytics, and technology-focused roles.
