Best Online SQL Courses for 2021

In this pandemic era, it's no surprise that online learning has become even more popular. To help you narrow things down, I’ve prepared a list of 2021’s 10 best online SQL courses. Find out where you can learn SQL effectively!

The number of online courses on offer – especially in the tech industry – is now impressive. You can find something that suits your interests, competences, and professional ambitions. But how do you know which to choose among the many online SQL courses out there?

Trial versions are helpful in choosing the right course; you can preview the course’s features and content to see if it fits your needs. Some courses are available completely free; others – more extensive and practice-based – are paid or part of a subscription plan.

Last year, Arleta prepared a list of the 5 best online SQL courses for beginners. This year, I have compiled a list of the best SQL learning resources of 2021. Among my choices, you’ll find free and paid courses as well as those certified by global corporations.

Don't be fooled by your own belief that SQL is difficult and you can't learn it. Unless you try, you won't find out for yourself that SQL isn't hard to learn. With a little commitment, you can become an absolute professional in data analysis.

Ready? Let’s go!

Learn SQL to Get a Better Job

If you’re looking for a job, you can strengthen your chances by doing an online SQL course. Knowing SQL is still a very desirable competence in the global labor market! Right now – when data is of particular importance and is collected in terabytes – companies need to find people who can work with data. Knowing the language that lets you effectively communicate with databases puts you in a winning position. And when it comes to relational databases, SQL is the answer.

The creators of online SQL courses place a lot of emphasis on choosing the right learning methods. The most effective courses teach you, entertain you, challenge you, and give you practical tasks – you can become addicted to them. But it's a good addiction, one that can land you a good job and may even allow you to spend your retirement in the Bahamas. According to research conducted by Dataquest, SQL knowledge is requested in almost half of online job advertisements.

By learning SQL, thousands of positions become open to you, and you can choose the companies that suit you best. Even tech giants, despite using proprietary database solutions, use SQL, e.g. to do analytical work. Isn't that motivation enough to take a closer look at online SQL courses?

What Makes a Good Online Skills Course?

A good online SQL course is affordable and user-friendly, even for a technophobe. Flexibility is important, too.

Consider how you learn in a SQL course. Is the course a series of lectures or podcasts? Or is it interactive, with hands-on exercises to solve and real-time feedback? Maybe a blend of the two?

Remember, you don’t need to know all the ins and outs of SQL right away – you can start from the beginning and figure out where you want to focus or apply your skills.

The most important thing is that the learning process should be focused on you, the student. Anything you choose should have an intuitive interface and accessible language that you understand. If you have to struggle with the platform, you’ll have less energy for learning SQL.

So where should you learn SQL? To help you make your choice, I present my list:

Top 10 Online SQL Courses

I have selected courses that enjoy very positive feedback and have the highest ratings. Here’s what I found:

#10 The Complete SQL Bootcamp 2021 on Udemy

You don't need any SQL experience to get started with this course, just a little willingness and patience. It will give you a pretty solid foundation in the basics of SQL syntax, data analysis using aggregate functions, and common SQL JOIN statements. You will learn how to retrieve data from tables and create new ones to efficiently systematize data.

The course combines theoretical knowledge and professional tips. The price gives you full, perpetual access to the course, so you can refresh your knowledge and remind yourself whenever convenient. Course content can be accessed via computer and mobile device. It includes lectures, coding challenges, articles, and a certificate of completion.

Price: $174.99

#9 SQL for Data Analysis by Mode on Udacity

Learn how to use SQL and manage databases with this course led by industry professionals. SQL for Data Analysis offers quizzes, interactive exercises, and instruction videos. All you need to get started is an internet connection. The only downside to this course is that basic knowledge of Excel spreadsheets is required. This shouldn't be a big problem, but for some – especially complete beginners – it can mean extra hours learning a different tool. One of the advantages of this course is its price:

Price: Free

#8 Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization on Coursera

This course is 100% online; according to the platform estimate, if you spend 4 hours a week, it should take you 7 months to complete it. Apart from SQL itself (in this case, the MySQL dialect), you also get some knowledge of the broad field of business analysis.

This specialization includes four individual courses and also teaches you how to make changes to business processes and analyze indicators. This would be helpful if you're running your own business and dealing with data analytics or working in a position where you need SQL to grow.

This course is dedicated to business specialization – you will learn how to formulate questions to obtain reports that help with strategic decisions and management. To get certified, you are given practical assignments after each of the 4 courses (which you do separately). You need to complete a project that will be assessed. Sounds like a challenge. Are you up for it?

Price: 7-day free trial, then $49 per month

#7 SQL Training (various courses) on LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn also has a lot to offer in terms of online courses. If you want to learn SQL with LinkedIn Learning, you can choose from courses of varying levels of sophistication and different lengths (from a few minutes to several hours). You can also choose the most convenient form for you: videos, interactive courses, or learning paths. You can start from scratch and gradually level up by choosing more challenging courses.

LinkedIn course materials are very readable and accessible. Learning should proceed quickly and efficiently. Because some of the training and exercises are available for download, you can use them offline.

Price: First month for free, then $29.99 per month

#6 SQL for Data Science on edX

If you want to see the more practical side of SQL, this course is a pretty good option. You’ll learn all the most important aspects of working with relational databases. You can't become a data engineer or data analyst unless you know how to use SQL to synthesize and analyze data.

The course is in English and is suitable for beginners. With no set time frame or deadline, you can work at your own pace.

Price: Free, certificate for $99

#5 SQL & Database Design A-Z: Learn MS SQL Server + PostgreSQL on Udemy

If you want to learn MS SQL Server and PostgreSQL, you may like this course. Here you will discover the basics and the slightly more advanced features of both SQL dialects.

The course is suitable for beginners. You can use it both on desktop and mobile. In my opinion, it is a bit too expensive; you can find better SQL courses with lower prices.

Still, if you choose this one, you won't be disappointed. I liked the fact that you can get support from the instructors at any time. They respond really fast.

Price: Currently $18.99; regular price $94.99

#4 SQL Certification Training Course on Simplilearn

Want to learn SQL from scratch? Or do you already work with databases and want to refresh your knowledge? Try this course!

The course is comprehensive. At the end – after passing the final exam – you get a certificate that you can add to your resume. I must admit that passing the final exam is not easy. You must earn at least 85 percent, so the creators set the bar quite high. If you decide to take this course, you can be quite proud of completing it!

Price: $499

#3 IBM Data Science Professional Certificate on Coursera

IBM is one of the most serious players in the IT world. Online courses prepared by the company’s tech specialists are very popular, including this certificate course in data science.

In addition to SQL, you'll also learn the basics of Python and some of its libraries, GitHub, and RStudio. However, be prepared for quite a difficult task. If you are a beginner, you may find it hard to master the material at times. It's a lot to take in at once. But if you rise to the challenge, you will have a beautiful IBM certification in your resume.

Price: 7-day free trial, then $39 per month

#2 Introduction to Databases and SQL on FutureLearn

This online SQL course is supported by another tech giant – Google. It introduces databases and SQL, so it’s great for absolute beginners. You'll learn about primary keys and table relationships, as well as how to create joins on multiple tables. This course has many positive reviews from users.

You should finish the course in three weeks, assuming that you spend 2 hours a week on learning. It's a bit weird that if you complete the tasks faster than the developers intended, you can't move on before the allotted time runs out. Thus, this isn’t truly a self-paced course.

Price: Free access, $49 for the certificate

#1 SQL Basics Interactive Course on LearnSQL.com

If you are looking for the most comprehensive SQL course, choose SQL Basics at LearnSQL.com. It’s fully interactive, which means that when you learn something, you immediately write SQL queries and see how it works in practice. The creators really believe in learning by doing.

In all LearnSQL courses, you solve tasks in the online console; you don't need to install anything on your computer. You can immediately check the results of your work, see if you made a mistake or got an unexpected result, etc.

The course should take you about 10 hours – no wasting time watching pointless videos! You’ll get SQL knowledge and a whole lot of practical exercises. You’ll learn how to:

• Retrieve information from a database.
• Create basic reports
• Use complex SQL conditions and logical operators.
• Work with data stored in multiple tables using JOINs.
• Use GROUP BY to group data.
• Write basic subqueries.
• Combine query results with set operations.

Sounds cool? It is! And you can try it out for free!

Price: $29 per month

Conquer the World with SQL Knowledge

Now that you know where to find the best online SQL courses, it’s time to choose one and start your learning adventure. With SQL in your resume, many more job options are open to you. If you really want to master SQL, try the SQL from A to Z track, I can  recommend it from my own experience!

Remember that learning the basics of SQL is just the beginning. Keep building your knowledge. Check out this article on how to exercise your SQL muscles for some ideas.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed! See you in class!