About the course 

You will learn how to both read and write complex SQL queries in a relational database (SQL Server). The skills you will learn are also largely applicable to any other major database system, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle Database, and much more. 

Although we use SQL Server to interrogate data throughout this course, SQL is a common language easily adapted to other RDBMS (relational database management systems) such as MySQL, IBM DB2, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Ingres, Sybase and Microsoft Access. 

Why Learn SQL? 

SQL queries, which are essentially requests or instructions that you send to a database, allow you to retrieve information and update, insert, or delete data. SQL is mainly associated with the IT sector and is an everyday instrument for database administrators. Developers use SQL to write an application that requires database connector, and systems architects use it to design database models. All of this mean value that encyclopedism SQL is a great choice for anyone who would like to pursue a career in IT. 

Outlines 

1: SQL Overview 

∙ Outlining SQL as the cornerstone of database activity 

∙ Applying the ANSI/ISO standards 

∙ Describing the fundamental building blocks: tables, columns, primary keys, and foreign keys ∙ 

2: Building the Database Schema 

∙ Creating tables and columns 

∙ Building tables with CREATE TABLE 

∙ Modifying table structure with ALTER TABLE 

∙ Adding columns to an existing table 

∙ Removing tables with DROP TABLE

∙ Protecting data integrity with constraints 

∙ Guaranteeing uniqueness with primary key constraints ∙ Enforcing integrity with foreign key constraints ∙ Imposing business rules with check constraints ∙ Improving performance with indexes 

∙ Expediting data retrieval with indexes 

∙ Recommending guidelines for index creation 

3: Manipulating Data 

∙ Modifying table contents 

∙ Adding table rows with INSERT 

∙ Changing row content with UPDATE 

∙ Removing rows with DELETE 

∙ Applying transactions 

∙ Controlling transactions with COMMIT and ROLLBACK ∙ Deploying BEGIN TRANSACTION in SQL Server 

4: Working with the SELECT Statement

∙ Writing Single Table queries 

∙ Retrieving data with SELECT 

∙ Specifying column expressions 

∙ Sorting the result with ORDER BY 

∙ Handling NULL values in expressions 

∙ Restricting rows with the WHERE filter 

∙ Testing for equality or inequality 

∙ Applying wildcard characters 

∙ Avoiding NULL value pitfalls 

5: Querying Multiple Tables

∙ Applying the ANSI/ISO standard join syntax 

∙ Matching related rows with INNER JOIN 

∙ Including no matched rows with OUTER JOIN ∙ Creating a Cartesian product with CROSS JOIN ∙ Combining results with set operators 

∙ Stacking results with UNION 

∙ Identifying matching rows with INTERSECT 

∙ Utilizing EXCEPT to find nonmatching rows

6: Employing Functions in Data Retrieval

∙ Processing data with row functions 

∙ Conditional formatting with the CASE expression ∙ Utilizing the CASE expression to simulate IF tests ∙ Dealing with NULL values 

∙ Performing analysis with aggregate functions 

∙ Summarizing data using SUM, AVG and COUNT ∙ Finding the highest/lowest values with MAX and MIN ∙ Defining the summary level with GROUP BY 

∙ Applying filter conditions with HAVING 

7: Constructing Nested Queries

∙ Applying sub queries in filter conditions 

∙ Creating correlated vs. no correlated sub queries ∙ Testing the existence of rows 

∙ Including sub queries in expressions 

∙ Placing sub queries in the column list 

∙ Creating complex expressions containing sub queries ∙ Handling sub queries that return no rows 

8: Developing In-Line and Stored Views

∙ Breaking down complex problems 

∙ Selecting data from a query result set 

∙ Using sub queries in the FROM clause