Forming SQL Queries

Course Overview
Course Objectives
Prerequisites
Course Series
Course Topics

Course Overview

The courses teaches how to use SQL to access a relational database. The relational database model, used by Oracle, Informix, Sybase, and many other commerical RDBMS products, has proven to be the most popular model for structured information storage. SQL is the standard language used to query and modify relational databases. The understanding and experience with SQL that you acquire in this course will enable you to successfully interact with any relational database product on the market today. This is a hands-on class in which you will be writing your own SQL and trying it on a live database.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Design a relational database schema
Create new databases
Create new tables, specifying attribute types
Specify indicies and understand alternative index types
Use the SQL SELECT statement to express queries
Understand how and why to join multiple tables
Understand how and why to use SQL subselects
Use the SQL INSERT and UPDATE statements to modify your database
Understand how and why to use transactions and locks
Delete tables, indicies, and databases

Prerequisites

Some computer experience is required. Experience maintaining tables of data, such as in a spreadsheet or simple database, would be very helpful. No prior experience with SQL or relational databases is assumed.

Course Series

In addition to this class, you may be interested in our Introduction to Perl Programming course, which covers how to use SQL from a Perl script and how to create web pages that interact with databases.

Course Topics

This course covers the following topics in a lecture/lab format:

Database Fundamentals
1. Relational Databases
2. Relations
3. Joining Two Relations
4. Indices
5. Different Relationship Types
  1. One to One
  2. One to Many
  3. Many to One
  4. Many to Many
6. Views
7. Transactions
8. Locks
9. Referential Integrity
Creating Objects
1. Creating and Deleting Databases
2. Tables
  1. Creating Tables
  2. Modifying Table Structure
  3. Deleting Tables
3. Creating and Deleting Indices
4. Creating and Deleting Views
Data Manipulation
1. The SELECT Statement
  1. Aggregate Functions
  2. Grouping Data
  3. Querying Several Tables
  4. Table Aliases
  5. Subselects
2. Inserting New Records
3. Updating Existing Records
4. Deleting Records