SQL Querying: Fundamentals
Course Description Overview
Organizations typically store their most critical information—the information used to manage day-to-day operations—within a database. The ability to retrieve and analyze this information is essential to the functioning of the organization. Structured Query Language (SQL) is the primary language used to accomplish such tasks. Essentially, SQL is the language you use to interact with a database.
The ability to write SQL is an essential job skill for those who need to manage large volumes of data, produce reports, mine data, or combine data from multiple sources. Even if someone else on your team creates reports for you, having a fundamental understanding of SQL querying will help you ask the right questions and know what you're looking for in your data analysis tools.
This course, SQL Querying: Fundamentals (Second Edition), will teach you to use SQL as a tool to retrieve the information you need from databases.
In this course, you will compose SQL queries to retrieve desired information from a database.
You will:
- Connect to the SQL Server database and execute a simple query.
- Include a search condition in a simple query.
- Use various functions to perform calculations on data.
- Organize the data obtained from a query before it is displayed onscreen.
- Retrieve data from multiple tables.
- Export the results of a query.
This course is intended for individuals with basic computer skills, familiar with concepts related to database structure and terminology, who want to use SQL to query databases.
Basic end-user computer skills and some familiarity with database terminology and structure are required. Completion of one of the following United States Career Campus courses or equivalent knowledge and skill is highly recommended:
- Using Microsoft® Windows® 10
- Microsoft® Windows® 10: Transition from Windows® 7
To prepare a student or instructor system for the class, install the following software according to the instructions provided. You will need the following software for each student and instructor computer:
- Microsoft® Windows® 10 64-bit with sufficient licenses.
Windows 10 requires activation unless you have volume-licensing agreements. There is a grace period for activation. If the duration of your class will exceed the activation grace period (for example, if you are teaching the class over the course of an academic semester), you should activate the installations at some point before the grace period expires. Otherwise, the operating system may stop working before the class ends.
- Microsoft® SQL Server® 2017 Express. (When this course was written, the installation file for this free software was available for download from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads.)
- Microsoft® SQL Server® Management Studio (SSMS). (When this course was written, the installation file for this free software was available for download from https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/ssms/download-sql-server-management-studio-ssms.)
For this course, you will need one computer for each student and one for the instructor. Each computer will need the following minimum hardware configurations:
- 2 GHz or faster 64-bit (x64) processor
- 4 gigabytes (GB) RAM
- 40 GB available hard disk space
- CD-ROM drive (if installing any software from a CD-ROM)
- Keyboard and mouse (or other pointing device)
- 1024 x 768 (or higher) resolution monitor recommended
- Network cards and cabling for local network access
- Internet access (contact your local network administrator)
- Printer (optional) or an installed printer driver
- Projection system to display the instructor's computer screen
Lesson 1: Executing a Simple Query
Topic A: Connect to the SQL Database
Topic B: Query a Database
Topic C: Save a Query
Topic D: Modify and Execute a Saved Query
Lesson 2: Performing a Conditional Search
Topic A: Search Using One or More Conditions
Topic B: Search for a Range of Values and NULL Values
Topic C: Search Data Based on String Patterns
Lesson 3: Working with Functions
Topic A: Perform Date Calculations
Topic B: Calculate Data Using Aggregate Functions
Topic C: Manipulate String Values
Lesson 4: Organizing Data
Topic A: Sort Data
Topic B: Rank Data
Topic C: Group Data
Topic D: Filter Grouped Data
Topic E: Summarize Grouped Data
Topic F: Use PIVOT and UNPIVOT Operators
Lesson 5: Retrieving Data from Multiple Tables
Topic A: Combine the Results of Two Queries
Topic B: Compare the Results of Two Queries
Topic C: Retrieve Data by Joining Tables
Lesson 6: Exporting Query Results
Topic A: Generate a Text File
Topic B: Generate an XML File