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SQL

SQL Server

Query, change and design databases with T-SQL, from your first SELECT to indexes, execution plans and transactions. Every query runs against one sample database, with interactive diagrams of what SQL Server does.

0 of 54 lessons completed · 54 topics in the full course Start learning: What is a database? SQL Server, SSMS and the BuildMart sample

Beginner

1. Foundations

6 topics

What is a database? SQL Server, SSMS and the BuildMart sampleLesson
Tables, rows, columns and data typesLesson
Your first SELECT: columns, aliases and expressionsLesson
Filtering rows with WHERELesson
NULL and three-valued logicLesson
Sorting and paging: ORDER BY, TOP, OFFSET and DISTINCTLesson

Beginner

2. Creating and changing data

6 topics

Creating tables and choosing typesLesson
Adding rows with INSERTLesson
Changing and removing rows: UPDATE and DELETELesson
Constraints: primary keys, UNIQUE, CHECK and DEFAULTLesson
IDENTITY, sequences and generated keysLesson
Changing tables safely: ALTER and DROPLesson

Beginner

3. Functions and expressions

5 topics

Working with text: string functionsLesson
Numbers: integer division, rounding and decimal precisionLesson
Dates and timesLesson
Decisions inside a query: CASE and IIFLesson
Converting types: CAST, CONVERT and TRY_CASTLesson

Intermediate

4. Joins and combining tables

6 topics

Relationships and foreign keysLesson
INNER JOIN: matching rows across tablesLesson
LEFT, RIGHT and FULL OUTER JOINLesson
Self joins and CROSS JOINLesson
UNION, INTERSECT and EXCEPTLesson
Designing tables: normalisationLesson

Intermediate

5. Grouping and subqueries

6 topics

Aggregates: COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN and MAXLesson
GROUP BY and HAVINGLesson
Subqueries: scalar, list and correlatedLesson
EXISTS and NOT EXISTSLesson
Common table expressions (WITH)Lesson
Recursive CTEs: hierarchies and bills of materialsLesson

Advanced

6. Advanced querying

6 topics

Window functions: ROW_NUMBER, RANK and NTILELesson
Running totals, moving averages, LAG and LEADLesson
PIVOT and UNPIVOTLesson
CROSS APPLY and OUTER APPLYLesson
JSON in SQL ServerLesson
MERGE, upserts and the OUTPUT clauseLesson

Advanced

7. Programmability

6 topics

ViewsLesson
T-SQL batches, variables and control flowLesson
Stored procedures and parametersLesson
Scalar and table-valued functionsLesson
Error handling: TRY...CATCH and THROWLesson
TriggersLesson

Advanced

8. Indexes and performance

6 topics

How SQL Server stores data: pages, heaps and B-treesLesson
Clustered indexesLesson
Nonclustered and covering indexesLesson
Reading execution plansLesson
Sargable queries and statisticsLesson
Finding and fixing slow queriesLesson

Master

9. Master level

7 topics

Transactions and ACIDLesson
Isolation levels, locking and blockingLesson
Deadlocks and row versioning (snapshot isolation)Lesson
Temporal tables: history and point-in-time queriesLesson
Security: logins, roles, permissions and SQL injectionLesson
Calling SQL Server from C#: ADO.NET, Dapper and EF CoreLesson
Putting it together: designing an order-management databaseLesson