Course Roadmap & Structure

This roadmap provides a complete overview of your SQL learning journey. Understanding the structure helps you navigate the course effectively and track your progress.

In this tutorial, you will learn:

• The complete course curriculum organized by modules
• What each module covers
• Recommended learning path
• Time estimates for completion

This comprehensive SQL course is organized into 23 modules, progressing from foundational concepts to advanced techniques.

Learning Levels

Level	Modules	Topics
Beginner	1-5	Introduction, SELECT, DDL, DML, Filtering
Intermediate	6-11	JOINs, SET Operators, Functions, CASE WHEN
Advanced	12-18	Window Functions, Subqueries, CTEs, Views
Expert	19-23	Stored Procedures, Indexes, Optimization

Estimated Time

• Total Course: 40-60 hours
• Per Module: 2-4 hours on average
• Recommended Pace: 1-2 modules per week

Status: You are here!

Topics Covered

Lesson	Description	Duration
Course Introduction	Welcome and course overview	10 min
Course Resources	Materials and references	10 min
Course Roadmap	This roadmap	10 min
What is SQL and Databases?	Core concepts explained	20 min
What is DBMS?	Database management systems	15 min
Types of Databases	Relational, NoSQL, and more	15 min
SQL Commands	DQL, DML, DDL, DCL, TCL	20 min
Why Learn SQL?	Career benefits and use cases	10 min
Environment Setup	Installing SQL tools	30 min

Learning Outcomes

After this module, you will:

• Understand what databases and SQL are
• Know the different types of SQL commands
• Have a working SQL environment (optional)

Topics Covered

Lesson	Description	Duration
Components of SQL	Building blocks of queries	20 min
SELECT and FROM	Retrieving data basics	25 min
WHERE Clause	Filtering rows	30 min
ORDER BY	Sorting results	20 min
GROUP BY	Aggregating data	35 min
HAVING	Filtering groups	25 min
DISTINCT	Removing duplicates	15 min
TOP and LIMIT	Restricting rows	15 min
Execution Order	How SQL processes queries	20 min

Learning Outcomes

After this module, you will:

• Write SELECT queries with confidence
• Filter, sort, and group data
• Understand query execution order

Topics Covered

Lesson	Description	Duration
CREATE	Creating tables and databases	30 min
ALTER	Modifying table structures	25 min
DROP	Deleting objects	15 min
Data Types	Choosing appropriate types	30 min
Constraints	PRIMARY KEY, FOREIGN KEY, etc.	35 min

Learning Outcomes

After this module, you will:

• Create your own database tables
• Define appropriate data types and constraints
• Modify and delete database objects

Topics Covered

Lesson	Description	Duration
INSERT	Adding new records	25 min
UPDATE	Modifying existing data	25 min
DELETE	Removing records	20 min
TRUNCATE	Removing all records	10 min
MERGE	Upsert operations	30 min

Learning Outcomes

After this module, you will:

• Insert single and multiple records
• Update data based on conditions
• Safely delete records

Topics Covered

Lesson	Description	Duration
Comparison Operators	=, !=, <, >, <=, >=	20 min
AND, OR, NOT	Combining conditions	25 min
BETWEEN	Range filtering	15 min
IN	Multiple value matching	15 min
LIKE	Pattern matching	25 min
Wildcards	% and _ patterns	20 min

Learning Outcomes

After this module, you will:

• Apply complex filtering conditions
• Use pattern matching for text searches
• Combine multiple conditions effectively

Topics Covered

Lesson	Description	Duration
Introduction to JOINs	Why and when to join	20 min
INNER JOIN	Matching records only	30 min
LEFT JOIN	All from left, matching from right	30 min
RIGHT JOIN	All from right, matching from left	20 min
FULL OUTER JOIN	All from both tables	25 min
ANTI JOINs	Finding non-matching records	25 min
CROSS JOIN	Cartesian product	20 min
Self JOIN	Joining table to itself	25 min
Multiple Table JOINs	Combining 3+ tables	35 min

Learning Outcomes

After this module, you will:

• Combine data from multiple tables
• Choose the right JOIN type for each scenario
• Handle complex multi-table queries

Module 7: SQL SET Operators

• UNION - Combine result sets (remove duplicates)
• UNION ALL - Combine result sets (keep duplicates)
• EXCEPT - Rows in first but not second
• INTERSECT - Rows in both result sets

Module 8: String Functions

• CONCAT - Combine text values
• UPPER / LOWER - Change case
• TRIM - Remove whitespace
• REPLACE - Substitute text
• SUBSTRING - Extract portions
• LENGTH - Count characters

Module 9: Date & Time Functions

• DATE functions - DAY, MONTH, YEAR extraction
• DATEPART - Extract specific components
• FORMAT / CONVERT - Date formatting
• DATEADD / DATEDIFF - Date arithmetic

Module 10: NULL Functions

• COALESCE - Replace NULL with value
• IFNULL / ISNULL - NULL handling
• NULLIF - Return NULL if equal
• IS NULL / IS NOT NULL - NULL checks

Module 11: CASE WHEN Statement

• Simple CASE - Value matching
• Searched CASE - Condition checking
• Categorizing data - Creating groups
• NULL handling - Using CASE with NULLs

Window functions are advanced but essential for data analysis roles.

Module 12: Window Functions Basics

Topic	What You'll Learn
Window vs GROUP BY	Key differences
OVER clause	Creating windows
PARTITION BY	Dividing data into groups
ORDER BY in windows	Defining row order
Frame specification	Controlling row scope

Module 13: Window Aggregate Functions

• Running totals with SUM() OVER
• Moving averages with AVG() OVER
• Cumulative counts with COUNT() OVER
• MIN/MAX within windows

Module 14: Window Ranking Functions

Function	Behavior
ROW_NUMBER()	Sequential numbers (1, 2, 3, 4)
RANK()	Gaps after ties (1, 2, 2, 4)
DENSE_RANK()	No gaps (1, 2, 2, 3)
NTILE(n)	Divide into n buckets
PERCENT_RANK()	Relative ranking (0 to 1)

Module 15: Window Value Functions

• LAG - Access previous row
• LEAD - Access next row
• FIRST_VALUE - First row in window
• LAST_VALUE - Last row in window

Module 16: Subqueries

• Subqueries in SELECT, FROM, WHERE, JOIN
• Correlated vs non-correlated subqueries
• EXISTS and NOT EXISTS
• Scalar vs table subqueries

Module 17: Common Table Expressions (CTEs)

• WITH clause basics
• Multiple CTEs in one query
• Recursive CTEs for hierarchies
• CTEs vs subqueries

Module 18: Views

• Creating and managing views
• Views vs tables vs CTEs
• Updatable views
• Performance considerations

Module 19: CTAS & Temporary Tables

• CREATE TABLE AS SELECT
• Temporary table usage
• Performance optimization patterns

Module 20: Stored Procedures

• Parameters and variables
• Control flow (IF, WHILE)
• Error handling
• Triggers

Module 21: Indexes

• Clustered vs non-clustered
• Composite indexes
• Index design strategies
• Reading execution plans

Module 22: Partitions

• Table partitioning strategies
• Range and list partitioning
• Performance benefits

Module 23: Performance Best Practices

• Query optimization techniques
• Common performance pitfalls
• Monitoring and tuning

Suggested Progression

Week 1-2:  Module 1 (Introduction) + Module 2 (SELECT)
           └── Master the basics of querying

Week 3-4:  Module 5 (Filtering) + Module 6 (JOINs)
           └── Combine and filter data effectively

Week 5-6:  Modules 7-11 (Functions + CASE)
           └── Transform and manipulate data

Week 7-8:  Modules 12-15 (Window Functions)
           └── Advanced analytics capabilities

Week 9-10: Modules 16-18 (Subqueries, CTEs, Views)
           └── Complex query patterns

Week 11-12: Modules 3-4 (DDL + DML)
            └── Creating and modifying data

Week 13+:  Modules 19-23 (Advanced Topics)
           └── Performance and optimization

Skill Milestones

After Module	You Can
2	Query single tables with filters and aggregations
6	Combine data from multiple tables
11	Transform data with functions and conditionals
15	Perform complex analytics with window functions
18	Write production-ready query patterns
23	Optimize database performance

What You Learned

✅ The course contains 23 modules from beginner to expert level

✅ Topics progress logically, building on previous concepts

✅ Estimated completion time is 40-60 hours

✅ Follow the recommended path or customize based on your needs

Your Progress

You are currently in Module 1: Introduction to SQL. Complete this module to build a solid foundation before moving to SELECT queries.

Next Up

Continue to What is SQL and What are Databases? to learn the fundamental concepts!