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Introduction to SQL Training Course

Two days (09:30 to 16:30 UK time each day)

This course is available in the following formats (all prices exclude VAT):

Classroom (London)
£1,195 Classroom (Manchester)
£895 Onsite (your office)
Please ask Online (your home)
£725
You can book a place on this course either online through this website, by phone, by email or by filling in our enquiry form.

There aren't any pre-requisites for this course, although you'll find it easier if you've already seen a relational database (one with lots of tables joined together).  The course uses SQL Server Management Studio, although if you're booking an onsite SQL course we will on request use Azure Data Studio instead.

Course schedule

Here are our next few Introduction to SQL course dates:

Dates Times Venue Price (excl. VAT)
13-14 Dec 09:30-16:30 Online £725 Book
09-10 Jan 09:30-16:30 Online £725 Book
29-30 Jan 09:30-16:30 Online £725 Book
08-09 Feb 09:30-16:30 Manchester £895 Book
20-21 Feb 09:30-16:30 London £1,195 Book
Show full list of dates

Got a handful of like-minded people in your organisation? You could consider booking your own customised onsite course, whereby you get to pick the dates and venue!

Course Contents - PDF

Introduction to SQL training course contents

If your organisation has a database built in SQL Server (whether Agresso/Unit4, Dynamics, LiquidLogic, Sage or any proprietary system) this course will show you how to get information out of it!  You'll learn how to:

  • Write queries in T-SQL or Transact SQL (the dialect of SQL used in SQL Server)

  • Apply criteria to pick out only records of interest

  • Create expressions using keywords like CASE WHEN and CAST

  • Link tables together using inner and outer joins

  • Aggregate data using the GROUP BY clause to show statistics

You don't need any base knowledge to join this course (although you will need to understand your corporate database to get information out of it - we can't teach you that bit!).

The contents of this course are as follows:

Using SQL Server

  • SQL Server Management Studio
  • Controlling windows
  • Using Object Explorer

Creating databases - overview

  • Designing databases
  • Primary keys

Working with tables

  • Creating tables
  • Allowing nulls or not
  • Identity fields
  • Creating relationships

Query Designer

  • Building queries
  • Editing queries in the designer

Simple Queries

  • Creating queries
  • Comments
  • Indentation and case

Setting criteria using WHERE

  • Wildcards (% and _)
  • Setting criteria for dates
  • Coping with nulls

Calculations

  • Calculated columns
  • Using aliases
  • String functions and concatenation

Calculations using dates

  • GetDate
  • Converting dates
  • Useful date functions

Basic joins

  • Inner joins
  • Table aliases
  • Left and right outer joins

Aggregation and grouping

  • SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX
  • Various ways to count
  • Grouping by fields
  • Using HAVING to filter results

Views

  • The view designer
  • Limitations of the designer
  • Scripting views

Subqueries   if time

  • The concept of a subquery
  • Syntax of subqueries
  • Using subqueries in a query

Derived tables and CTEs   if time

  • Using derived tables
  • Common Table Expressions (CTEs)
  • Multiple CTEs in a single query
Please see further up this page for what you should know beforehand (if anything) in order to attend this course.

Why Choose Us?

Here are some reasons to choose Wise Owl courses:

In addition, here are some benefits unique to classroom training:

And some benefits specific to online training:

  • Courseware manual posted to you in advance
  • Free half-hour pre-course check-up included
  • Our clever system means you can use our laptops (and we can see them)

What other people have said

Our thanks to everyone who agreed to share their thoughts. All of the following reviews are from the last 3 calendar years:

"The training worked perfectly! I had experienced the Power BI training in person but to have an online option that works so well, I can only thank you."

Andy Derbyshire (APSE Manchester)

"Our trainer was brilliant, explained everything in great detail and made me feel comfortable asking questions, no matter how silly they might be! Overall it's a brilliant course and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get to grips with SQL basics. Both of my colleagues had attended this course previously and it came highly recommended by them."

Dean Steffen (Linney Group Ltd)

"The instructor made complex content accessible and enjoyable to learn. The manual will also provide further learning and support my SQL use at work. I chose the course based on the strength of the Power BI course (I previously attended) and the standard of this course was just as good."

Sophia Sharpley (Sage Publishing)

"Excellent all round, it was really useful to have the brief connection check in advance so that we could get on with it on the day. "

Becca Perry (WQE College (Wyggeston and QE))

"Our trainer was fantastic, went at a good pace, was patient and great at explaining the examples."

Ganesh Patel (e-foods)

There are lots more where these came from (or just refresh this page to change the quotes shown).

How our training courses work

Below are some notes on how Wise Owl courses work, to help you decide whether they're for you or not.

What you'll need

If you book on a classroom course, the only thing you need to bring to the course is ... yourself! We even provide a notepad and a suprisingly nice pen for you to take notes with.

For online training you'll need two things:

  1. A good internet connection (otherwise you'll have a frustrating time); and
  2. A second screen (a requirement, not a nice-to-have!)

You can see full details of our online course requirements here.

When you book a place

If you book a place on one of our courses:

  • For classroom courses we will send out a joining email. That's it!
  • For online courses we will get in touch to organise a half-hour pre-course check to iron out any connection problems before the course (rather than during it).

Whatever type of course you book, we will also send you out a reminder a few days before the course is due to take place - not that (we hope) you'll have forgotten!

What you won't need

For classroom training, you won't need a computer - we (obviously) will provide that. However, you're welcome to use your own laptop if you prefer, providing that you have the correct software installed.

For online training you will need a computer, but you won't need to have any software installed.  This is because you'll use Windows Remote Desktop to connect to our computers, and these will have all of the necessary files and software installed.

The start of the course

For online courses you will be able to join up to half an hour before the course begins. This will give you time to:

  • familiarise yourself with the set-up;
  • meet your trainer; and
  • get to know the other delegates!

For classroom training it's always nice if people arrive a bit early too, to give people time to meet each other (and drink coffee).

You'll be given a full colour courseware manual, an exercise booklet to go with the course and a USB stick for taking course files away (we'll post all this to you for online courses).

After the course

After the course finishes you'll receive a digital certificate proving your attendance (we will gladly send a paper copy on request also).

We don't have any formal arrangement for answering questions after the course, but if you get stuck on something and email your trainer they should (and nearly always do!) respond as quickly as their training schedule allows.

Related Courses

You might like to consider these related courses:

Advanced SQL RECOMMENDED

Advanced

2 day course

Reporting Services

Introduction

2 day course

Introduction to SSIS

Introduction

2 day course
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