Databases: Modeling and Theory from edX

About the Database Series of Courses

"Databases" was one of Stanford's three inaugural massive open online courses in the fall of 2011. It has been offered in synchronous and then in self-paced versions on a variety of platforms continuously since 2011. The material is now being offered as a set of five self-paced courses, which can be taken in a variety of ways to learn about different aspects of databases.

Relational Databases and SQL is the most popular course in the Databases series. It is applicable to learners seeking to gain a strong understanding of relational databases, and to master SQL, the long-accepted standard query language for relational database systems. Additional courses focus on advanced concepts in relational databases and SQL, formal foundations and database design methodologies, and semistructured data.

All of the courses are based around video lectures and demos. Many of them include quizzes between video segments to check understanding, in-depth standalone quizzes, and/or a variety of automatically-checked interactive exercises. Each course also includes an unmoderated discussion forum and pointers to readings and resources. The courses are described briefly below. Taught by Professor Jennifer Widom, the overall curriculum draws from Stanford's popular longstanding Databases course.

Why Learn About Databases

Databases are incredibly prevalent -- they underlie technology used by most people every day if not every hour. Databases reside behind a huge number of websites; they're a crucial component of telecommunications systems, banking systems, video games, and just about any other software system or electronic device that maintains some amount of persistent information. In addition to persistence, database systems provide a number of other properties that make them exceptionally useful and convenient: reliability, efficiency, scalability, concurrency control, data abstractions, and high-level query languages. Databases are so ubiquitous and important that computer science graduates frequently cite their database class as the one most useful to them in their industry or graduate-school careers.

What you'll learn

Stanford's online offering in Databases is now available as a set of five self-paced courses:

Databases: Relational Databases and SQL

Introduction to the relational model and concepts in relational databases and relational database management systems
Comprehensive coverage of SQL, the long-accepted standard query language for relational database management systems

Databases: Advanced Topics in SQL (prerequisite: Relational Databases and SQL)

Creating indexes for increased query performance
Using transactions for concurrency control and failure recovery
Database constraints: key, referential integrity, and "check" constraints
Database triggers
How views are created, used, and updated in relational databases
Authorization in relational databases

Databases: OLAP and Recursion

Star schemas, the data cube concept, and On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) features in relational databases including the Cube and Rollup operators
The SQL standard for queries over recursively-defined relations

Databases: Modeling and Theory

Relational algebra – the algebraic query language that provides the formal foundations of SQL
Dependency theory and normal forms in relational databases as the basis of schema design
The data-modeling component of the Unified Modeling Language (UML), how UML diagrams are translated to relations

Databases: Semistructured Data

The XML model for semistructured and self-describing data, including DTDs and some features of XML Schema
The JSON model for human-readable structured or semistructured data
The XPath language for processing XML data, and many features of the more advanced XQuery language
An introduction to the XSLT rule-based language for querying and transforming XML data

What's inside

Learning objectives

Introduction to the relational model and concepts in relational databases and relational database management systems
Comprehensive coverage of sql, the long-accepted standard query language for relational database management systems
Creating indexes for increased query performance
Using transactions for concurrency control and failure recovery
Database constraints: key, referential integrity, and "check" constraints
Database triggers
How views are created, used, and updated in relational databases
Authorization in relational databases
Star schemas, the data cube concept, and on-line analytical processing (olap) features in relational databases including the cube and rollup operators

The sql standard for queries over recursively-defined relations
Relational algebra – the algebraic query language that provides the formal foundations of sql
Dependency theory and normal forms in relational databases as the basis of schema design
The data-modeling component of the unified modeling language (uml), how uml diagrams are translated to relations
The xml model for semistructured and self-describing data, including dtds and some features of xml schema
The json model for human-readable structured or semistructured data
The xpath language for processing xml data, and many features of the more advanced xquery language
An introduction to the xslt rule-based language for querying and transforming xml data

Introduction to the relational model and concepts in relational databases and relational database management systems
Comprehensive coverage of sql, the long-accepted standard query language for relational database management systems
Creating indexes for increased query performance
Using transactions for concurrency control and failure recovery
Database constraints: key, referential integrity, and "check" constraints
Database triggers
How views are created, used, and updated in relational databases
Authorization in relational databases
Star schemas, the data cube concept, and on-line analytical processing (olap) features in relational databases including the cube and rollup operators
The sql standard for queries over recursively-defined relations
Relational algebra – the algebraic query language that provides the formal foundations of sql
Dependency theory and normal forms in relational databases as the basis of schema design
The data-modeling component of the unified modeling language (uml), how uml diagrams are translated to relations
The xml model for semistructured and self-describing data, including dtds and some features of xml schema
The json model for human-readable structured or semistructured data
The xpath language for processing xml data, and many features of the more advanced xquery language
An introduction to the xslt rule-based language for querying and transforming xml data

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores **Databases**, which is an industry-standard technology that underlies websites, telecommunications systems, and other software systems

Led by **Jennifer Widom**, a professor known for her work in databases

Teaches **SQL**, the standard query language for relational databases

Covers advanced topics in SQL, such as creating indexes for query performance and using transactions for concurrency control

Taught by **Jennifer Widom**, a professor known for her work in databases

Teaches OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing) features in relational databases

Covers recursive SQL queries

Introduces relational algebra, the algebraic query language that provides the formal foundations of SQL

Covers dependency theory and normal forms in relational databases as the basis of schema design

Introduces the XML model for semistructured and self-describing data

Covers the JSON model for human-readable structured or semistructured data

Teaches XPath, a language for processing XML data

Introduces XSLT, a rule-based language for querying and transforming XML data

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Databases: Modeling and Theory with these activities:

Participate in online discussion forums

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Engage with your peers by actively participating in online discussion forums to share knowledge, ask questions, and gain different perspectives.

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Introduce yourself and state your interests
Respond to discussion prompts and share your thoughts
Ask questions and seek clarification

Organize and review course materials

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Enhance your comprehension of the course material by organizing and actively reviewing lecture notes, assignments, and other study resources.

Browse courses on Databases

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Gather and organize all relevant course materials
Review the materials regularly, highlighting important concepts and taking notes
Create summaries or concept maps to reinforce your understanding

Review relational algebra concepts

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Familiarize yourself with relational algebra, the formal language for querying relational databases, to strengthen your foundational understanding of SQL.

Browse courses on Relational Algebra

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Review lecture notes and textbooks on relational algebra
Practice writing relational algebra expressions to represent queries

Five other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all eight activities

Read 'Database Systems: The Complete Book'

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Gain a comprehensive understanding of database systems by reading this in-depth textbook, which covers a wide range of concepts and technologies.

View Database Systems: The Complete Book on Amazon

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Read each chapter thoroughly
Take notes and highlight important concepts
Complete the exercises and review questions at the end of each chapter

Solve SQL practice problems

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Enhance your SQL proficiency by solving a variety of practice problems that cover different aspects of the language.

Browse courses on SQL

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Find online SQL practice platforms or problem sets
Attempt to solve the problems on your own, referring to documentation or resources when needed
Review your solutions and identify areas for improvement

Explore advanced SQL features

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Expand your SQL knowledge by exploring advanced features such as transactions, stored procedures, and triggers.

Browse courses on Advanced SQL

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Find online tutorials or documentation on advanced SQL topics
Follow the tutorials, practice examples, and experiment with the features in a database environment

Attend a database workshop or conference

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Immerse yourself in a hands-on or interactive database workshop or conference to learn from industry experts and connect with professionals in the field.

Browse courses on Networking

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Research and identify relevant database workshops or conferences
Register and attend the event
Actively participate in sessions and engage with attendees

Build a simple database project

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Solidify your understanding of database concepts by designing and developing a small-scale database project that meets specific requirements.

Browse courses on Database Design

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Define the purpose and scope of your project
Create an ER diagram to model the data
Implement the database using a chosen DBMS
Populate the database with sample data
Write SQL queries to retrieve and manipulate data

Career center

Learners who complete Databases: Modeling and Theory will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Database Engineer

As a Database Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining databases. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for success in this role. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to design, develop, and maintain databases effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Database Engineer

Data Architect

As a Data Architect, you will be responsible for designing and managing the structure of data within an organization. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for success in this role. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to design and manage data effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Architect

Data Warehouse Architect

As a Data Warehouse Architect, you will be responsible for designing and managing data warehouses. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for success in this role. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to design and manage data warehouses effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Warehouse Architect

Business Analyst

As a Business Analyst, you will be responsible for analyzing business processes and identifying opportunities for improvement. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for understanding how data is structured and organized. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to analyze business processes effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Data Scientist

As a Data Scientist, you will be responsible for using data to solve business problems. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for understanding how data is structured and organized. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to use data effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Information Architect

As an Information Architect, you will be responsible for designing and managing the structure of information systems. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for understanding how data is structured and organized. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to design and manage information systems effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Information Architect

Data Analyst

As a Data Analyst, you will be responsible for analyzing data to identify trends and patterns. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for understanding how data is structured and organized. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to analyze data effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Analyst

Database Administrator

As a Database Administrator, you will be responsible for managing and maintaining databases. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for success in this role. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to manage and maintain databases effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Database Administrator

Project Manager

As a Project Manager, you will be responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for understanding how data is structured and organized. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to plan, execute, and close projects effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Product Manager

As a Product Manager, you will be responsible for planning, developing, and launching new products. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for understanding how data is structured and organized. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to plan, develop, and launch new products effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

System Analyst

As a System Analyst, you will be responsible for analyzing and designing information systems. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for understanding how data is structured and organized. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to analyze and design information systems effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for System Analyst

IT Consultant

As an IT Consultant, you will be responsible for advising clients on how to use technology to improve their business. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for understanding how data is structured and organized. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to advise clients effectively.

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Technical Writer

As a Technical Writer, you will be responsible for writing technical documentation. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for understanding how data is structured and organized. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to write technical documentation effectively.

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Software Tester

As a Software Tester, you will be responsible for testing software to ensure that it meets requirements. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in database modeling and theory, which are essential for understanding how data is structured and organized. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to test software effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Tester

Software Engineer

As a Software Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining software applications. This course may be useful for you because it will teach you the fundamentals of database modeling and theory, which are essential for building and managing databases used by software applications. You will learn about relational databases, SQL, and other important database concepts that will help you to succeed in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer