Top 5 SQL Tutorials for Beginners

Is learning SQL with tutorials a good idea? What tutorials are tailored to your needs? Our top 5 SQL tutorials for beginners will help you find your way!

The idea to learn SQL is one of the best you could have. But to succeed, you need a good source of knowledge. In this article, we focus on online tutorials. We will describe different platforms, methods used, key features, prices. After reading this, you’ll be able to choose the best beginner-level SQL tutorial for you.

Before you embark on your learning journey, you may want to read about the best way to learn SQL. And if you know you want to learn the fundamentals of this language, you can’t do better than our SQL Basics track, followed by our SQL Practice set. Both have tons of interactive exercises to help you learn simple queries, aggregation and GROUP BY, data filtering techniques, JOINs, and subqueries.

Why Learn SQL?

Structured Query Language (SQL) has been among the most popular programming languages for many years. It fits perfectly with the current needs of many industries – especially when working with huge amounts of data. SQL is essential in the tech industry, especially in data management and analytics.

SQL is the standard language for managing relational databases. It allows users to store, manipulate, and retrieve data efficiently. With the exponential growth of data in various industries, effectively managing data is crucial.

Many businesses rely on data analysis to make informed decisions. SQL enables analysts and data scientists to query databases, perform complex calculations, and generate reports to extract insights from data. It’s also fundamental for database administrators, who ensure the performance, security, and availability of databases. They use SQL to configure database settings, optimize queries, and troubleshoot issues.

Another field where SQL is essential is web development, where it underpins dynamic and interactive websites. It allows developers to interact with databases to store user information, manage content, and supports functionalities like user authentication and e-commerce transactions.

SQL Top 5 Tutorials

SQL is used in many areas: business intelligence, machine learning, data integration, and more. Thus, mastering SQL can open up a lot of possibilities. If you aim to work with databases – whether in data analysis, software development, or database administration – don’t hesitate to learn this language. Choosing the right SQL programming tutorial for beginners should be your first priority. And these five tutorials will ensure you build a solid foundation in the world of databases.

1.   SQL Basics in MySQL

Over 2,000 users gave this tutorial 5 stars. Why?

SQL Basics in MySQL will guide you through the important topics of this popular database management system. There are over 120 interactive exercises; you’ll need about 10 hours to complete the whole course. Some of the topics are:

• Getting information from a MySQL database.
• Building basic reports in MySQL from scratch.
• Writing complex WHERE conditions, using logical operators like AND, OR, and
• Understanding the LIKE, IN, and BETWEEN operators in MySQL.
• Working with multiple tables in MySQL.

This course is very practical. Each exercise has instructions, an explanation, and a task to solve. You learn by putting your new knowledge into practice right away. You learn by writing real SQL queries in an online console and immediately getting the results. Our online platform runs the code and verifies your solution.

This tutorial is for beginners. You don’t need any previous coding experience – just a computer with a browser, an internet connection, and a motivation to learn.

For only $39, you get unlimited lifetime access to the whole learning track. Sounds like a good deal to me!

2.   freeCodeCamp.org:  Full Database Course for Beginners

FreeCodeCamp.org is, as the name suggests, a website that will teach you to code for free. But I want to focus on its YouTube channel and the SQL Tutorial - Full Database Course for Beginners

This video course clocks in at about 4.5 hours; it covers database management basics using MySQL. The course is designed for newcomers to SQL and database management systems. The tutorial will show you database schema design, basic CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations, aggregation, nested queries, joins, keys, and much more.

This is a classic video tutorial. The expert shows how to process SQL step by step; you follow along on the screen. If you want to jump to a topic you are especially interested in, just choose that moment from the timeline. The player is also divided into parts with descriptions.

This SQL tutorial for beginners is free, as are many materials on YouTube. It’s worth adding that freeCodeCamp.org has over 9 million subscribers and this specific tutorial has been viewed 17,625,930 times (as of April 2024). And its comments are positive: for many, this was a game changer in their learning journey or a huge step forward in their IT career.

3.   Programming with Mosh

This is another YouTube channel with an impressive number of subscribers. Mosh Hamedani is a talented presenter of this content and he knows how to prepare videos in an appealing way. The episodes are interesting, comprehensive, and clear, with animations to help you understand the topic.

His MySQL Tutorial for Beginners is a 3-hour-long full course. Like most video tutorials, you follow the steps that appear on a screen. You can find any given moment using the video’s timeline or the video player’s path.

What will you learn?  SQL essentials (in the popular MySQL dialect) for working with databases. He also provides an SQL cheat sheet and some database creation scripts.

Like other YouTube SQL tutorials, this course is free. The advantage is that you can watch and learn whenever you have time and energy. You can pause, play, and repeat at will. The downside, of course, is the lack of immediate feedback.

4.   IBM: Introduction to SQL

This IBM tutorial – dedicated to everyone who is just starting their journey with SQL – is available on the learning platform edX.org. As you can read in the lead, it’s “a must for anyone working in Data Engineering, Data Analytics, or Data Science”. You don’t need to have any programming knowledge to start the course, but basic data literacy is recommended.

This course offers a more hands-on experience than the YouTube tutorials. Lessons are a combination of videos and exercises. You’ll work with real database systems, use real tools, and analyze real-world datasets. Through a series of hands-on labs, you will practice building and running SQL queries. At the end of the course, there’s a final project where you will need to apply and demonstrate all the skills you’ve gained.

Completing this training takes around 10-20 hours. The learning materials are free, but there is an option to upgrade to get more activities and a certification. For that, you will pay $99.

5.   SQL from A to Z

This is a compilation of seven LearnSQL.com courses. It starts with the SQL Basics course we mentioned earlier and proceeds through intermediate and advanced topics. It is a perfect solution for anyone who wants to start learning SQL from scratch.

Completing this learning track will take around 90 hours. Don’t be afraid of it. This comprehensive track contains everything you need to learn SQL in one place. The courses are arranged in logical order, and the teaching process was carefully designed for beginners to gain confidence and experience. You set your learning pace: once a day, once a week - it’s your call.

This course features hundreds of interactive exercises, so you’ll be writing real code and getting immediate feedback. You can always count on a hint if you get stuck; you also have the support team or our community of learners to lean on as needed.

These are the topics covered in SQL from A to Z:

• SQL basics
• Standard SQL functions
• How to INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE data in SQL
• Creating basic SQL reports
• Window functions
• Recursive queries
• GROUP BY extensions in SQL

If you want to read more about specific parts of this SQL tutorial for beginners, check them out in the track course description.

You get lifetime access to the whole path of seven courses for $273 – a nice price for a complete, interactive learning experience.

Choose Your Best Online SQL Tutorial for Beginners

I am a huge fan of online learning, but I always underline how important it is to be motivated and have a plan. Feeling responsible for your learning path is crucial to achieving your goals.

That’s why choosing one of the tutorials from the list will help you. Choose the one that fits your goals, schedule, and budget. Practice regularly and get to know different examples. For more inspiration, read How SQL Skills Can Boost Your Resume and Why You Should Work in a Data-Driven Company

Remember that learning SQL is the first step toward mastering database management and analytics. Take that first step toward a brilliant tech career!