Best MySQL Courses for Beginners

Updated on: May 4, 2024

SQL is among the most important languages when it comes to dealing with huge amounts of data. If your job includes analyzing or collecting data and you feel that an Excel file is not enough, you need to learn or develop your SQL skills. And if you learn SQL, you also need to know one of its most popular dialects - MySQL.

If you've made the decision to learn SQL, you've come to the right place. I will show you how to go through this process; it can be as easy as clicking here and starting to learn MySQL. However, if you want to know more, read on.

One of your first decisions will be what SQL dialect to learn. If you already know what database management system (DBMS) you’ll be working with, you’ll probably learn that dialect. If you don’t know, don't worry; learning standard SQL or any of its main dialects will help you enormously. It's still the same SQL language, and most of the differences between dialects are minor. You can check your database documentation for differences.

One of the most popular databases in the world is MySQL. I highly recommend you choose this dialect; it's a great career choice. In this article, I will show you how to start learning and what are the best MySQL courses for beginners.

A Quick Intro to SQL

SQL has a long history. It was developed in the early 1970s by IBM researchers Donald D. Chamberlin and Raymond F. Boyce. They wanted to create a flexible and powerful database system that would allow data to be organized and accessed more easily.

They came up with the concept of a relational database, which would store data in tables in rows and columns like a spreadsheet. To interact with this new type of database, they developed a language called SEQUEL (Structured English Query Language), which later became known as SQL. It was designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, with commands that closely resembled natural language.

This new language gained popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1986, the American National Standards Institute released a standard for SQL, which helped to establish it as a widely accepted programming language.

If you are interested in how SQL developed, check out The History of SQL – How It All Began.

SQL Today

SQL is used by millions of developers and database administrators around the world. It can be used to manage and manipulate data in all kinds of applications, e-commerce websites, financial systems, and wherever huge amounts of data are collected.

Collecting data is one step. Another thing is to be able to analyze it, to draw conclusions and link data from different categories. To do so, you need something to communicate with the databases where all that information is stored. SQL allows us to “talk” to databases.

As we mentioned before, there are many different DBMSs and each of them has its own SQL dialect. You may already have heard about some of them, like MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and Oracle. They differ from each other, but the core of their languages is the same.

MySQL Courses for Beginners

In this article, we will focus on MySQL. It’s the most popular and widely used relational database management system in the world. It has taken first place for many years now. Many professionals use this open-source software in their everyday work. If you’re considering developing your career path toward data, it is highly possible that you will work with MySQL. So, let’s take a look at some great MySQL courses for complete beginners.

SQL Basics in MySQL

Our SQL Basics in MySQL online course is designed to teach users the fundamentals of SQL using the MySQL database management system. It contains 126 interactive exercises and you will need around 10 hours to complete it. 

In this course, you will find out how a MySQL database organizes data into tables. You’ll learn how to find and filter data in a single table, how to combine data from multiple tables, and how to do simple and complex computations in SQL.

Don’t worry if you have no previous experience in coding or IT. This MySQL online course is designed for people with no technical background (although people with an IT background will also find it very helpful). This course is self-paced, allowing you to complete it at your own speed. You can adjust your learning path to your needs. 

As you complete the interactive exercises, you’ll write real code and receive immediate feedback. Whenever you get stuck, you can use a hint or share your problems with our learning community.

This course is for you if you are working or planning to work with relational databases. It’s also great if you are a student or beginning programmer, a business database user, or if you simply want to develop your skills.

SQL Practice Set in MySQL

Our SQL Practice Set in MySQL course is designed to perfect your SQL skills through practical application using the MySQL database system. This course offers over 100 interactive exercises and requires approximately 15 hours to complete, ensuring you gain proficiency in real-world SQL scenarios.

In this immersive course, you'll tackle challenges that simulate actual database problems, enhancing your ability to query and manipulate data within MySQL databases. You'll refine your skills in advanced data selection, table joins, subqueries, and complex SQL functions and expressions.

This course is tailored for those who already have a basic understanding of SQL and wish to deepen their knowledge. Whether you're an IT professional looking to sharpen your database management skills or a programmer aiming to enhance your SQL expertise, this course provides a comprehensive, hands-on experience.

With each exercise, you'll write authentic SQL queries, receiving instant feedback on your solutions. Should challenges arise, helpful hints are readily available. And our vibrant learning community is always on hand to offer support.

The SQL Practice Set in MySQL course is ideal for database professionals, analysts, and anyone involved in data-driven decision-making who wants to leverage the full power of MySQL. It's also an excellent resource for advanced students and developers looking to solidify their SQL capabilities and apply them confidently in practical situations.

SQL for Beginners: Learn SQL using MySQL and Database Design

Udemy is a well-known online learning platform. It has hundreds of learning categories with lots of valuable content.

Like the previous course, SQL for Beginners is designed to teach the fundamentals of SQL to anyoneall interested in improving their set of skills. You don’t need prior experience in database management. The course is taught by professional instructors with years of experience in the field; it consists of 8 hours of on-demand video lectures, quizzes, and practical exercises.

This course covers a wide range of topics, including creating and modifying databases, querying data from databases, filtering and sorting data, working with tables and relationships, and using functions and operators. With this course, you will learn all about MySQL for a reasonable price.

MySQL and SQL for Beginners

This TechRepublic Academy course is another solid proposition for those interested in learning SQL and especially MySQL.

This course’s  has The 18 hours of materials of this course are divided into 136 lectures take about 18 hours to complete. You will find everything from basic SQL to complex queries. You’ll see how to create, update, and query databases and how to use triggers, views, and stored procedures. You’ll also learn about transactions and how to use them, database isolation, database security techniques, and more.

This course is taught by John Purcell, a software developer with over 14 years of experience. He runs the Cave of Programming website and works as a private software trainer. 

MySQL Fundamentals

Pluralsight is another online learning platform that offers video courses and tutorials on a wide range of technology and creative skills.

MySQL Fundamentals is one of the most popular MySQL courses on this platform. It is led by the well-known instructor Pinal Dave, who is also an SQL blogger.

This course is perfect for beginners. It covers the fundamentals of MySQL, starting with how to install it and write basic data retrieval and modification queries. This course guides you step by step into the world of MySQL. You’ll learn basic theory and techniques for working with data.

After finishing the basics, you can move to the second part of MySQL Fundamentals course, where you will dive deeper into the subject. This will teach you about joins, unions, subqueries, MySQL functions, views, stored procedures and stored functions, triggers, and events.

Each part of the course takes less than three hours. This is a really short time to get some basic MySQL knowledge.

SQL JOINs in MySQL 

Our SQL JOINs in MySQL online course is tailored to turn you into a JOIN wizard with MySQL. Over 90 interactive exercises await; it will take you about 10 hours to master the art of combining data from multiple tables seamlessly.

You'll get hands-on experience with inner joins, left and right joins, and full joins, ensuring you're well-equipped to merge data with finesse. Whether it's simplifying complex queries or optimizing data retrieval, this course covers it all.

If working with relational databases is in your future or current repertoire and you're looking to master the complexities of SQL joins, then look no further. This course will guide you through every step, ensuring you become a more capable and confident SQL user.

MySQL Tutorial for Beginners

Now I’m suggesting something a bit different: This YouTube MySQL tutorial for beginners by Mosh Hamedani. His channel “Programming with Mosh” is quite well known and contains many tutorial videos on a wide range of topics – including web development, software engineering, databases, and the C#, Java, Python, and JavaScript programming languages.

People like Mosh because of his clear and effective teaching style. He uses real-world examples and projects to help learners understand how programming concepts apply in practice. Additionally, he often provides practical tips and advice on best practices and industry trends.

MySQL Tutorial for Beginners is a complete course for everyone who wants to start learning. If you have no experience and you are a bit afraid that you can’t do it, don’t worry. Mosh will guide you through the most important topics. You’ll learn basic definitions, installation practices, and database creation. You’ll also learn about MySQL clauses, operators, joins, unions, and more.

A big advantage of video courses is that you can pause or rewind as often as you need. As with other online courses, you can learn at your own pace. Need more SQL YouTube clips? Here are some recommendations:

• The Best YouTube Channels for Learning SQL
• Lesser-Known SQL YouTube Channels You Need to Follow Now!

Learn MySQL As You Like

We hope that our short list of the best MySQL courses for beginners will help you get started learning SQL. Remember, learning MySQL can be a valuable skill for anyone interested in working with data. It is widely used in many industries, including e-commerce, finance, healthcare, and more.

What’s more, SQL is in demand in the job market. So if you are thinking about changing your career, don’t hesitate any longer. And if you already know you want to learn more than just the basics, you may also want to consider our SQL from A to Z in MySQL learning track. Its seven interactive courses make up a complete and comprehensive training path.

For serious and really devoted learners who want to study SQL systematically, I can recommend the All Forever Package. This is lifetime access to all courses and tracks in all SQL dialects available on the LearnSQL.com platform. Check it out, and happy learning!