Skip to content
Close-up of colorful CSS code lines on a computer screen for web development.

Programming & Web Development school

Advanced Certificate in Database Management Using SQL

Everything past SELECT, including what makes it fast.

This advanced SQL course starts where the fundamentals stop: outer joins, aggregates, string and date functions, indexes and execution plans, stored procedures, transactions, triggers and windows.

85 lessons · self-pacedFor experienced learnersCertificate on completionNext Tutor support included

Overview

What this advanced SQL course covers

The advanced SQL course assumes SELECT, WHERE, INSERT, keys and data types, re-teaches none of them, and opens the editor in lesson one. If you can already write a query and want to become the person on the team who makes queries fast and reliable, this is that course.

Joins come first, with the ON clause treated as a rule for pairing rows rather than a phrase to copy, then aggregates, the string and date functions that clean up data nobody entered carefully, and the outer joins. Indexes and execution plans teach you when a scan should have been a seek. Then the database as a place where logic lives: stored procedures, cursors, transactions, triggers, views and window functions, before twenty-seven exercises to close.

Outcomes

What you will be able to do

Join five tables and pick the join type the question needs, not INNER by reflexFind what is missing with a LEFT JOIN and IS NULL, without a WHERE clause undoing itFilter groups with HAVING, and explain why WHERE cannot see an aggregateClean real text and dates with SUBSTRING, CHARINDEX, REPLACE, DATEPART and DATEDIFFRead an execution plan well enough to know when a scan should have been a seekWrite a stored procedure that checks its inputs and fails without leaving half a changeRank, number and accumulate across rows with window functions and PARTITION BYSay which of your SQL is standard and which is Microsoft only, before you port it

Requirements

Course requirements

  • SQL you can already write from memory: SELECT, WHERE, INSERT, CREATE TABLE, data types, keys and ORDER BY. None of it is re-taught.
  • SQL Server Developer or Express edition, both free, and a client for it.
  • On macOS or Linux, a cross-platform client and SQL Server in a container. Both are straightforward one-time setups.
  • A tested connection before lesson 3, which is where the typing starts and never really stops.

Syllabus

Database Management Using SQL curriculum

84 recorded video lessons you follow along in the software, at your own pace. Quizzes through each module check what stuck, and a 20-question final exam earns your certificate.

1Advanced SQL Course Orientation6 lessons · 5 videos · quiz
  1. Introduction to Advanced SQL (reading)
  2. Advanced SQL Course Focus (video lesson, 55 seconds)
  3. Reviewing SQL Objects (video lesson, 16 minutes)
  4. Using Wildcard Operators (video lesson, 18 minutes 44 seconds)
  5. Wildcard Operator Exercises Part 1 (video lesson, 22 minutes)
  6. Wildcard Operator Exercises Part 2 (video lesson, 23 minutes 20 seconds)Quiz
2SQL Joins and Relational Querying3 lessons · 3 videos · 2 quizzes
  1. Understanding SQL JOIN Syntax (video lesson, 22 minutes 52 seconds)
  2. SQL JOIN Exercises Part 1 (video lesson, 27 minutes 21 seconds)Quiz
  3. SQL JOIN Exercises Part 2 (video lesson, 28 minutes 4 seconds)Quiz
3Aggregate Functions and Grouped Queries3 lessons · 3 videos · quiz
  1. Using Aggregate Functions (video lesson, 27 minutes 6 seconds)
  2. Filtering Grouped Data with the HAVING Clause (video lesson, 32 minutes 18 seconds)
  3. Aggregate Function Exercises (video lesson, 24 minutes 58 seconds)Quiz
4String, Date and Time Functions8 lessons · 8 videos · 3 quizzes
  1. String Functions Part 1 (video lesson, 21 minutes 14 seconds)
  2. String Functions Part 2 (video lesson, 22 minutes 47 seconds)
  3. String Functions Part 3 (video lesson, 19 minutes 45 seconds)
  4. String Functions Part 4 (video lesson, 22 minutes 27 seconds)Quiz
  5. Date and Time Functions Part 1 (video lesson, 19 minutes 58 seconds)
  6. Date and Time Functions Part 2 (video lesson, 27 minutes 53 seconds)
  7. Date and Time Functions Part 3 (video lesson, 21 minutes 47 seconds)Quiz
  8. Date and Time Functions Part 4 (video lesson, 22 minutes 51 seconds)Quiz
5Advanced SQL Join Techniques3 lessons · 3 videos · quiz
  1. Understanding Advanced JOIN Syntax (video lesson, 19 minutes 29 seconds)
  2. Advanced JOIN Exercises Part 1 (video lesson, 20 minutes 39 seconds)
  3. Advanced JOIN Exercises Part 2 (video lesson, 25 minutes 20 seconds)Quiz
6Indexes and Database Schema Design6 lessons · 6 videos · 3 quizzes
  1. Indexes Part 1 (video lesson, 6 minutes 25 seconds)Quiz
  2. Indexes Part 2 (video lesson, 5 minutes 44 seconds)
  3. Indexes Part 3 (video lesson, 6 minutes)
  4. Indexes Demonstration (video lesson, 14 minutes 12 seconds)
  5. Schema Structures Part 1 (video lesson, 13 minutes 50 seconds)Quiz
  6. Schema Structures Part 2 (video lesson, 21 minutes 56 seconds)Quiz
7SQL Programming and Stored Procedures4 lessons · 4 videos · 2 quizzes
  1. SQL Programming Part 1 (video lesson, 20 minutes 28 seconds)
  2. SQL Programming Part 2 (video lesson, 17 minutes 53 seconds)Quiz
  3. Stored Procedures Part 1 (video lesson, 21 minutes 42 seconds)
  4. Stored Procedures Part 2 (video lesson, 30 minutes 20 seconds)Quiz
8Advanced SQL Programming Techniques6 lessons · 6 videos · 2 quizzes
  1. Advanced SQL Programming Part 1 (video lesson, 21 minutes 44 seconds)Quiz
  2. Advanced SQL Programming Part 2 (video lesson, 33 minutes 48 seconds)
  3. Advanced SQL Programming Part 3 (video lesson, 32 minutes 18 seconds)
  4. Advanced SQL Programming Part 4 (video lesson, 16 minutes 8 seconds)
  5. Advanced SQL Programming Part 5 (video lesson, 18 minutes 40 seconds)
  6. Advanced SQL Programming Part 6 (video lesson, 24 minutes 51 seconds)Quiz
9Advanced Table Design and Demonstrations2 lessons · 2 videos · quiz
  1. Working with Advanced Tables (video lesson, 22 minutes 27 seconds)
  2. Advanced Table Demonstration Exercises (video lesson, 17 minutes 28 seconds)Quiz
10Cursors and SQL Transaction Control4 lessons · 4 videos · 2 quizzes
  1. Working with SQL Cursors (video lesson, 20 minutes 41 seconds)
  2. SQL Transactions Part 1 (video lesson, 29 minutes 8 seconds)
  3. SQL Transactions Part 2 (video lesson, 21 minutes 11 seconds)Quiz
  4. SQL Transactions Part 3 (video lesson, 29 minutes 53 seconds)Quiz
11SQL Triggers and Automated Database Actions3 lessons · 3 videos · 2 quizzes
  1. SQL Triggers Part 1 (video lesson, 20 minutes 58 seconds)
  2. SQL Triggers Part 2 (video lesson, 28 minutes 30 seconds)Quiz
  3. SQL Triggers Part 3 (video lesson, 25 minutes 35 seconds)Quiz
12Views and Subquery Techniques6 lessons · 6 videos · 2 quizzes
  1. SQL Views Part 1 (video lesson, 20 minutes 4 seconds)
  2. SQL Views Part 2 (video lesson, 32 minutes 9 seconds)Quiz
  3. SQL Subqueries Part 1 (video lesson, 28 minutes 43 seconds)
  4. SQL Subqueries Part 2 (video lesson, 27 minutes 19 seconds)
  5. Advanced SQL Subqueries Part 1 (video lesson, 27 minutes 46 seconds)
  6. Advanced SQL Subqueries Part 2 (video lesson, 39 minutes 19 seconds)Quiz
13SQL Window Functions6 lessons · 6 videos · 2 quizzes
  1. Window Functions Part 1 (video lesson, 17 minutes 50 seconds)
  2. Window Functions Part 2 (video lesson, 26 minutes 50 seconds)
  3. Window Functions Part 3 (video lesson, 16 minutes 19 seconds)
  4. Window Functions Part 4 (video lesson, 17 minutes 15 seconds)Quiz
  5. Window Functions Part 5 (video lesson, 33 minutes 11 seconds)
  6. Window Functions Part 6 (video lesson, 4 minutes 59 seconds)Quiz
14Advanced SQL Practice Exercises Section 112 lessons · 12 videos · 3 quizzes
  1. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.1 (video lesson, 26 minutes 19 seconds)
  2. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.2 (video lesson, 25 minutes 2 seconds)
  3. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.3 (video lesson, 27 minutes 29 seconds)
  4. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.4 (video lesson, 11 minutes 42 seconds)Quiz
  5. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.5 (video lesson, 11 minutes 7 seconds)
  6. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.6 (video lesson, 34 minutes 49 seconds)
  7. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.7 (video lesson, 16 minutes 1 second)
  8. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.8 (video lesson, 11 minutes 13 seconds)Quiz
  9. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.9 (video lesson, 14 minutes 35 seconds)
  10. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.10 (video lesson, 18 minutes 42 seconds)
  11. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.11 (video lesson, 12 minutes 46 seconds)
  12. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 1.12 (video lesson, 18 minutes 18 seconds)Quiz
15Advanced SQL Practice Exercises Section 2 and Course Review13 lessons · 13 videos · 2 quizzes
  1. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.1 (video lesson, 17 minutes 21 seconds)
  2. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.2 (video lesson, 14 minutes 57 seconds)
  3. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.3 (video lesson, 16 minutes 14 seconds)
  4. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.4 (video lesson, 15 minutes 53 seconds)Quiz
  5. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.5 (video lesson, 17 minutes 16 seconds)
  6. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.6 (video lesson, 18 minutes 58 seconds)
  7. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.7 (video lesson, 18 minutes 12 seconds)
  8. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.8 (video lesson, 7 minutes 41 seconds)
  9. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.9 (video lesson, 11 minutes 17 seconds)Quiz
  10. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.10 (video lesson, 18 minutes 20 seconds)
  11. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.11 (video lesson, 13 minutes 35 seconds)
  12. Advanced SQL Practice Exercise 2.12 (video lesson, 19 minutes 39 seconds)
  13. Advanced SQL Course Review (video lesson, 3 minutes 14 seconds)

Certificate

Earn a certificate you can show

Finish the final module and your Database Management Using SQL certificate is issued automatically. Download it, share it with employers and clients, or add it to your resume and LinkedIn.

Where this can take you

Skills from this school show up in roles like these. The certificate proves you finished; the projects you build are what get you hired.

  • Junior web developer
  • Front-end developer
  • Python developer
  • Data and reporting analyst
  • Automation specialist
Framed Nextversity certificate for Database Management Using SQL

Enroll with confidence

Enroll with confidence

Start today, finish at your paceNo deadlines and no cohorts. Watch a lesson tonight and pick it up again whenever it suits you.
Every course includedOne subscription opens all 50 courses across 8 schools, so you are never locked into this one choice.
Help on every lessonNext Tutor knows the lesson you are on and answers in seconds. A real person answers email.
Cancel anytimeTwo clicks from your account settings. No calls and no forms.

Full details in the refund policy. One subscription covers this course and every other course in all 8 schools.

Pair it with

More from the Programming & Web Development school

Close-up of colorful CSS code lines on a computer screen for web development.Certificate
Certificate in Database Management Using SQL

Create, query and join tables in SQL Server, then 51 exercises you attempt before seeing the answer.

79 lessonsSelf-pacedCertificate

View courseEnroll now
Detailed view of programming code in a dark theme on a computer screen.Certificate
Certificate in Python Programming

Python from a first variable to a database, with four projects including a fifteen-part banking system.

118 lessonsSelf-pacedCertificate

View courseEnroll now
See all 6 Programming & Web Development courses

FAQ

Common questions about the advanced SQL course

What should I know before taking an advanced SQL course?

SELECT, WHERE, INSERT, CREATE TABLE, data types, primary and foreign keys and ORDER BY, all from memory. Lesson one opens the editor and the pace never lets up. A useful self-check: write down which of JOIN, GROUP BY, subqueries and stored procedures you could produce right now without looking anything up.

Does this course cover SQL window functions?

Yes, a full module of them. OVER, PARTITION BY and frames, used to rank, number, compare and accumulate across rows without collapsing those rows into groups. Window functions are the thing that most often separates an intermediate SQL writer from an advanced one, and they come up constantly in analyst interviews.

How long is the advanced SQL course?

Roughly 29 hours of video across 15 modules, with your own typing on top of that. The last two modules are twenty-seven exercises and are worth doing slowly. It is self-paced with no deadlines, so most people work through a module or two a week alongside a job.

Will this give me an official SQL certification?

You finish with a certificate of completion for this course carrying a verification code anyone can check. It is not a Microsoft credential, and Microsoft runs its own separate exams. What actually moves an interview along is being able to explain an execution plan or write a window function on a whiteboard, which is what this course drills.

Is it only useful for Microsoft SQL Server?

It is taught in SQL Server, and most of what you learn is standard. Joins, GROUP BY, aggregates, subqueries, views and window functions all travel to PostgreSQL and MySQL untouched. The Microsoft-specific pieces are flagged where they appear alongside the portable equivalent, so you always know which is which before you port anything.

Does the course cover database design and indexing?

Both, together, which is the right way round. Schema design sits alongside indexes: what to index, what a composite index can be used for, and what every index costs you on write. Advanced table design gets its own module. What is absent is administration, so backups, security, permissions and replication are not covered here.

Can I take this without the first SQL course?

You can, if you learned the fundamentals somewhere else. The requirement is the knowledge rather than the enrollment. What you cannot do is arrive without it, because module one starts at joins and assumes everything underneath. If two or more of the core topics feel shaky, do the first certificate first. It is in the same subscription.

Free info pack

Not ready to enroll? Start with the guide.

The full curriculum for this course, what you'll build, and how it fits with the rest of the school, in one short guide.

By downloading, you authorize Nextversity to contact you about courses. Unsubscribe anytime.

$29/moCancel anytimeEnroll now