Beginner ~12 hours 20 lessons Free

SQL Tutorial

Talk to databases

Master SQL with 20 free lessons. SELECT, JOINs, GROUP BY, indexes, transactions, and database design — the language of data, used by every backend.

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What you'll learn

  • SQL SELECT and WHERE
  • JOINs (INNER, LEFT, RIGHT)
  • GROUP BY and aggregates
  • Indexes and performance
  • Database design basics

Prerequisites

  • No prior coding needed
  • Access to a SQL database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite)

Why learn SQL?

  • SQL is required for every backend, data, and analytics role
  • It hasn't changed much in 40 years — your skills are durable
  • Used by every product company, every day, everywhere
  • Even data scientists need SQL — Pandas isn't enough alone

Course Curriculum

20 lessons · ~12 hours · self-paced

  1. 1

    Introduction to SQL

    What SQL Actually Is
  2. 2

    Setting Up a Database

    Three Ways to Get a Database, and Which to Pick
  3. 3

    Creating Tables

    CREATE TABLE: Decide the Shape Before the Data
  4. 4

    INSERT - Adding Data

    The Two Forms of INSERT, and Why Only One Is Safe
  5. 5

    SELECT - Querying Data

    The Shape of a Query
  6. 6

    Sorting & Limiting

    Without ORDER BY, There Is No Order
  7. 7

    Updating Data

    UPDATE, and the Clause You Must Never Forget
  8. 8

    Deleting Data

    DELETE, and the Sentence That Empties a Table
  9. 9

    Aggregate Functions

    One Row Out of Many
  10. 10

    GROUP BY & HAVING

    GROUP BY: One Row Per Group
  11. 11

    SQL Joins - Part 1

    Why the Data Is Spread Across Tables
  12. 12

    SQL Joins - Part 2

    RIGHT JOIN, and Why You Rarely See One
  13. 13

    Subqueries

    A Query Inside a Query
  14. 14

    String Functions

    Text in a Database, and Why the Type Matters
  15. 15

    Date Functions

    The Date Types, and Choosing Between Them
  16. 16

    Indexes & Performance

    Why an Index Exists
  17. 17

    Views

    A View Is a Saved Query, Not a Saved Table
  18. 18

    Database Design & Normalization

    Why Design Comes Before Typing
  19. 19

    SQL Best Practices

    Writing SQL That Other People Can Read
  20. 20

    Final Project: Build a Database

    Reading the Brief Before You Type

From the Blog

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SQL Injection Explained: The Fix Is Not Escaping Quotes

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Read more on the blog

Ready to start?

All 20 lessons are free. No credit card. No sign-up required to read.

Start with lesson 1: Introduction to SQL
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