This hands-on course introduces SQL and relational databases using Postgres, the most popular and most admired open-source database in the world. We will discuss and exercise key concepts, such as tables, relations, queries, indexes, primary keys and foreign keys, and entity-relationship diagrams. The course is designed to provide a balance of theory and practice. All code and data samples will be provided to the participants.

We will use PostgreSQL, one of the most popular open-source databases, to illustrate and exercise the concepts. The exercises will leverage pgAdmin, the leading open-source GUI tool for data analysts and DBAs working with Postgres.

While this course uses Postgres to illustrate concepts, most features and examples are generally applicable to other relational database systems (e.g., MySQL, Oracle, or SQL Server).

The course is focused on generalists and novice data analysts who want to get a basic understanding for SQL (and Postgres) and how to use them to work with data.

• Quick intro to databases
• Connecting to the Postgres database w. pgAdmin
• Tables and queries
• Query basics: Insert, update, delete, select
• Primary keys, foreign keys, and data integrity
• Relationships
• Organizing data with schemas and entity-relationship diagrams
• Operators
• Queries revisited (aggregates and joins, explain plans)
• Indexes

Participants will become familiar with SQL to read, write, and execute database queries, to create tables, and work with data stored in relational databases.  

Mix of presentation and hands-on-keyboard exercises