SQL & Data Modeling — Study Guide

A free, illustrated companion to the SQL & Data Modeling Associate certification. Five modules take you from precise SELECT queries through joins, subqueries, window functions, and set operations, then into relational design: the relational model, ER modelling, constraints, transactions, normalization, and dimensional schemas for analytics. Mermaid diagrams, runnable SQL, comparison tables, and worked examples throughout.

Key facts

• Course price: $91 (one-time payment)
• Field: Data Engineering & Analytics
• Prepares for: SQL & Data Modeling Associate
• 5 modules · 15 lessons · about 3 hours of lessons
• Self-paced, online, illustrated lessons

Course outline

1. Querying with SELECT — Reading data precisely: SELECT/WHERE/ORDER BY/LIMIT, operators and NULL handling, and the logical order the database actually evaluates a query in.
   • SELECT, WHERE, ORDER BY, LIMIT
   • Operators, Predicates, and NULLs
   • How SQL Really Runs a Query
2. Aggregation and Joins — Summarising data with GROUP BY/HAVING and combining tables with every JOIN type — the heart of multi-table SQL.
   • Aggregates, GROUP BY, and HAVING
   • INNER and OUTER Joins
   • SELF and CROSS Joins
3. Subqueries, CTEs, Windows, and Sets — Composing advanced queries: nested and correlated subqueries, CTEs (including recursion), window functions, and set operations.
   • Subqueries and CTEs
   • Window Functions
   • Set Operations
4. Relational Design and Integrity — The relational model and ER modelling, the constraints that protect data, indexes and performance, and transactions with ACID.
   • The Relational Model and ER Modeling
   • Keys, Constraints, and Indexes
   • Transactions and ACID
5. Normalization and Analytics Modeling — Normal forms 1NF-BCNF and when to denormalize, plus dimensional modelling: fact and dimension tables, star vs snowflake schemas.
   • Normalization: 1NF to BCNF
   • Denormalization and Trade-offs
   • Star and Snowflake Schemas