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Troy Amelotte

Unlock the power of PostgreSQL with a course designed by a seasoned CTO for real-world application. Skip the fluff and dive straight into the heart of what matters in day-to-day database operations.

Why This Course?

  • Curated content based on 15+ years of industry experience

  • Focus on practical skills used daily in professional settings

  • Efficient learning path, eliminating unnecessary complexities

What You'll Learn:

Read more

Unlock the power of PostgreSQL with a course designed by a seasoned CTO for real-world application. Skip the fluff and dive straight into the heart of what matters in day-to-day database operations.

Why This Course?

  • Curated content based on 15+ years of industry experience

  • Focus on practical skills used daily in professional settings

  • Efficient learning path, eliminating unnecessary complexities

What You'll Learn:

  1. Robust Query Writing: Master the art of crafting efficient and powerful SQL queries

  2. Essential PostgreSQL Features: Explore views, triggers, and functions

  3. Data Manipulation: Become proficient in update, insert, and delete operations

  4. Database Architecture: Understand schemas and effective database design

Whether you're a beginner starting from scratch or a professional looking to sharpen your skills, this course will elevate your PostgreSQL proficiency to new heights. Join us to gain practical knowledge that you can implement immediately.

Transform your database skills and boost your career prospects with this laser-focused, industry-driven PostgreSQL course.

Learn from real-world scenarios and hands-on exercises that simulate actual workplace challenges. Gain confidence in your ability to handle complex database tasks efficiently. By the end of this course, you'll possess the skills that top companies seek in their database professionals, setting you apart in the competitive tech landscape.

Enroll now

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Write complex sql queries in postgres
  • Create well designed schemas
  • Understand how to utilize advanced tools to improve postgres efficiency
  • Leverage constraints to keep data high quality

Syllabus

Introduction & Setup
Introduction
What a Database is & Types of Databases
What is SQL?
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Let's check and make sure you understand how to write each of the basic SQL statements

The insert statements are too large to put here so I've added them to the following lecture as an article.

Here's the DB setup file: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/troyamelotte/practical-postgres/main/leaflanddb.sql

Here's the link to the data file for this exercise: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/troyamelotte/practical-postgres/main/leafland_entries.sql

Data for the execercises: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/troyamelotte/practical-postgres/main/more_orders.sql

Here's the SQL for this lecture: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/troyamelotte/practical-postgres/main/monthly_rev.sql

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Focuses on practical skills and real-world scenarios, making it highly relevant for professionals working with databases daily
Starts with basic operations like CRUD and gradually introduces advanced techniques, which builds a strong foundation for learners
Covers essential PostgreSQL features like views, triggers, and functions, which are critical for efficient database management and optimization
Includes exercises and walkthroughs for creating tables, designing databases, and writing robust queries, offering hands-on experience
Explores advanced queries, aggregates, and nested queries, which are useful for extracting valuable insights from data
Teaches JSONB and techniques for finding queries with long execution times, which are useful for database optimization and performance tuning

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Reviews summary

Practical, essential postgres for professionals

According to learners, this course provides a solid foundation in PostgreSQL, focusing effectively on the most important parts of SQL for real-world applications. Many found the content to be practical and immediately applicable, particularly appreciating the hands-on exercises and the instructor's clear explanations. While some reviewers mentioned that the course might be too basic for experienced users or could benefit from deeper dives into advanced topics like performance tuning, the overall sentiment is largely positive, especially for those looking to gain or strengthen practical SQL skills for a professional context.
Pacing and depth vary for different users.
"As someone new to SQL, this course was perfect. It wasn't overwhelming but covered the essentials."
"I have some SQL experience, and parts felt a bit basic, but the later modules on views, functions, and triggers were great."
"Could use more in-depth coverage on complex topics or optimization techniques for larger databases."
"The pacing was just right for a beginner moving quickly towards practical application."
"It covers the 'most important parts' well, but don't expect to be a Postgres performance guru afterwards."
Provides a strong basis for further learning.
"This course provides a really solid foundation in PostgreSQL. I feel confident writing basic to intermediate queries now."
"I gained a solid foundation from completing this course, which will help me tackle more advanced topics."
"It covers all the necessary building blocks you need to start working with Postgres databases."
"A great starting point for anyone wanting to learn Postgres for development or data analysis."
"Really helped solidify my understanding of the core principles and how to approach database design."
Exercises reinforce learning effectively.
"The exercises are a major strength. They solidify the concepts and provide necessary practice."
"I found the hands-on coding and projects are the strongest part of the course for me."
"Working through the exercises really helped cement my understanding of the queries and concepts."
"The exercise walkthroughs were invaluable for checking my work and understanding alternative solutions."
"Plenty of practical exercises to practice what you learn."
Instructor explains complex topics simply.
"The instructor is excellent, breaking down complex SQL concepts into easy-to-understand lessons."
"His explanations are clear, concise, and he gets straight to the point. No unnecessary jargon."
"I appreciated how he explained the 'why' behind certain techniques, not just the 'how'. Very helpful."
"The way the material was presented made even potentially dry topics engaging and easy to follow."
"The lectures were well-paced and the instructor's style kept me engaged throughout."
Emphasizes real-world scenarios and utility.
"This course is incredibly practical, focusing only on the essential SQL needed for day-to-day tasks."
"I loved that the exercises simulated actual workplace problems. I can use this immediately at my job."
"Finally, a course that cuts the fluff and shows you how to use Postgres in the real world. Very hands-on."
"The focus on practical examples helped me understand how these concepts apply outside of theory."
"I learned practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work."

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 Practical Postgres: Master The Most Important Parts of SQL with these activities:
Review Relational Database Concepts
Reinforce your understanding of relational database concepts, which are fundamental to working with PostgreSQL.
Browse courses on Relational Databases
Show steps
  • Review the definitions of tables, schemas, primary keys, and foreign keys.
  • Practice designing simple database schemas on paper.
  • Take a short online quiz on relational database terminology.
Review 'PostgreSQL Up and Running'
Strengthen your PostgreSQL foundation by reviewing 'PostgreSQL Up and Running', focusing on core concepts and practical examples.
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'PostgreSQL Up and Running' by Regina O. Obe and Leo S. Hsu.
  • Read the chapters covering installation, basic SQL commands, and data types.
  • Experiment with the examples provided in the book to reinforce your understanding.
SQL Query Exercises on SQLZoo
Sharpen your SQL query writing skills by completing exercises on SQLZoo, focusing on SELECT, JOIN, WHERE, GROUP BY, and ORDER BY clauses.
Browse courses on SQL Queries
Show steps
  • Visit SQLZoo and select the PostgreSQL tutorial.
  • Work through the SELECT, JOIN, and Aggregate functions sections.
  • Attempt the harder exercises to challenge your understanding.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Review 'SQL Cookbook'
Enhance your SQL skills by reviewing the 'SQL Cookbook', focusing on recipes relevant to the course topics.
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'SQL Cookbook' by Anthony Molinaro.
  • Browse the table of contents and identify recipes related to query writing, data manipulation, and database design.
  • Read through the selected recipes and try implementing the solutions in PostgreSQL.
Create a Blog Post on PostgreSQL Views
Deepen your understanding of PostgreSQL views by writing a blog post explaining their purpose, usage, and benefits.
Browse courses on Views
Show steps
  • Research PostgreSQL views and their different types (e.g., standard views, materialized views).
  • Write a blog post explaining what views are, how to create them, and when to use them.
  • Include examples of using views to simplify complex queries or enforce data security.
  • Publish your blog post on a platform like Medium or your personal website.
Design a Database for a Simple Application
Solidify your understanding of database design by creating a database schema for a real-world application, such as a library or e-commerce store.
Show steps
  • Choose a simple application domain (e.g., a blog, a to-do list, or a small online store).
  • Identify the entities and relationships within that domain.
  • Design a database schema with appropriate tables, columns, data types, primary keys, and foreign keys.
  • Write SQL scripts to create the tables and insert sample data.
Create an ERD for a Social Media Application
Apply your knowledge of database design by creating an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) for a social media application, demonstrating your ability to model complex relationships.
Show steps
  • Define the core features of a social media application (e.g., users, posts, comments, likes, followers).
  • Identify the entities and relationships required to model these features.
  • Create an ERD using a tool like draw.io or Lucidchart, showing the entities, attributes, and relationships.
  • Document the assumptions and design choices made during the ERD creation process.

Career center

Learners who complete Practical Postgres: Master The Most Important Parts of SQL will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Database Administrator
A Database Administrator ensures the reliability, performance, and security of an organization's database systems. This role involves tasks like database design, implementation, maintenance, and troubleshooting. This course helps aspiring database administrators by teaching robust query writing, essential PostgreSQL features like views and triggers, and effective data manipulation techniques. The course also covers database architecture, schemas, and design, all of which are essential for a well-functioning database system, making it a valuable resource for anyone entering this field.
Data Engineer
Data Engineers are responsible for building and maintaining the infrastructure that enables data analysis and reporting. This includes designing, building, and optimizing data pipelines. This course helps a data engineer because it provides hands-on experience with PostgreSQL, a popular database system. Data engineers work extensively with databases and the skills taught, including writing complex SQL queries, understanding schemas, and leveraging advanced database tools, are highly relevant. The focus on practical skills in this course translates directly into the kind of tasks a data engineer performs daily.
Backend Developer
Backend Developers build and maintain the server-side logic and databases that power applications. They work on everything from APIs to data storage and retrieval. This course helps backend developers by focusing on practical PostgreSQL skills, including writing efficient queries, understanding database architecture, and performing data manipulation. The skills in this course, therefore, help build a foundation for developing robust backend systems. Anyone wishing to become a backend developer, especially those working with technologies that use PostgreSQL as a primary database, may find this particular course very useful.
Data Analyst
A Data Analyst is someone who examines data to extract meaningful insights that drive business decisions. This involves querying databases, cleaning data, and creating reports. This course helps data analysts by providing a solid grounding in SQL and PostgreSQL, which are essential tools for querying and extracting data. This course's emphasis on practical SQL skills, such as writing complex queries and using aggregate functions, is necessary for a data analyst to succeed and may allow one to query databases with speed and efficiency.
Business Intelligence Analyst
Business Intelligence Analysts focus on using data to improve business performance. This involves creating dashboards, reports, and analyzing trends. This course may prove useful because business intelligence analysts frequently use SQL to extract data from databases. The course emphasis on writing complex queries and using database features like views may be useful and relevant. A BI analyst will find that this course may help them efficiently retrieve data for analysis and reporting, by giving them familiarity with essential database operations and management.
Software Developer
Software Developers build and maintain software applications. They often require knowledge of databases to store and retrieve data for their applications. This course may be useful because it provides practical skills in PostgreSQL, including writing SQL queries and understanding database design. Even if the software developer doesn't specialize in databases, having knowledge of this area builds a foundation for developing more robust applications by allowing them to interact with databases more effectively.
System Administrator
System administrators are responsible for the upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of an organization's computer systems. This can include databases. This course may be useful since it helps one manage and maintain PostgreSQL database systems. System administrators must occasionally interact with databases, and this course may enhance their ability to efficiently manage the database system. The course’s comprehensive approach to Postgres features makes it a valuable resource.
Solutions Architect
Solutions Architects design and implement technical solutions to business problems. This can include choosing the right database systems and designing data models. This course may help a solutions architect by providing a deeper understanding of PostgreSQL, allowing them to make informed decisions about database selection and design. The course's focus on database architecture and schema design is very useful, since it provides practical skills for crafting effective database solutions for business needs.
Technical Project Manager
Technical Project Managers oversee the planning and execution of technical projects. This often requires a general understanding of the technologies being used. This course may be useful since it offers practical knowledge of PostgreSQL, which is helpful for managing projects involving databases. Understanding how databases work, as taught by this course, will provide a project manager with some of the technical background they may need to manage projects that require a database. The course provides a focused and practical perspective that is useful in the workplace.
Data Scientist
Data Scientists analyze complex data sets to identify trends, patterns, and insights that can inform business strategy, often involving querying large databases. This course may be useful since it helps build SQL skills in PostgreSQL, a widely-used database system. A data scientist will find the ability to write complex queries and manipulate data a useful skill to have, allowing them to interact more efficiently with their data by retrieving it directly from the database.
Reporting Analyst
Reporting Analysts create reports for different areas of a business. This requires extracting data from different sources, and compiling it into easily digestible formats. This course may be useful due to its ability to enhance database querying skills. A reporting analyst will find the ability to use complex queries will help them to extract data from a database with greater efficiency. The data extraction skills from this course may help them perform their day-to-day duties.
Quality Assurance Analyst
Quality Assurance Analysts are responsible for ensuring the quality of software products. This role sometimes includes the testing of database functionality. This course may be helpful in that it provides a fundamental understanding of PostgreSQL and database operations. The ability to write SQL queries and understand database schemas may help QA analysts in verifying data integrity and consistency within a system. The course will help a QA analyst by giving them practical skills in working with databases.
Technical Support Specialist
Technical Support Specialists provide assistance to users experiencing technical issues, sometimes involving databases. This course may help a technical support specialist by giving them a functional understanding of PostgreSQL. A support specialist sometimes needs to interact with databases, and this course helps them understand how to perform basic queries and troubleshoot database-related issues. The course’s focus on core database concepts may assist a technical support specialist.
Technology Consultant
Technology Consultants advise organizations on how to use technology to meet their business goals. This may involve database systems. This course may be useful because it provides a deeper understanding of PostgreSQL, allowing consultants to make informed decisions when recommending database solutions. The skills gained, such as writing complex queries and understanding database design, makes the consultant more able to give advice about database technology.
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinators assist project managers in the planning and execution of projects. This often involves keeping track of project details, and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. This course may be useful for understanding some of the technical aspects of a project when databases are involved. Though not directly involved with databases, understanding of database concepts may help a project coordinator better support the technical team and ensure that timelines and deliverables are realistic.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Practical Postgres: Master The Most Important Parts of SQL.
Provides a comprehensive introduction to PostgreSQL. It useful reference for understanding the fundamentals of PostgreSQL and its advanced features. 'PostgreSQL Up and Running' is commonly used as a textbook at academic institutions and by industry professionals. It adds more depth to the course by covering topics such as data types, indexing, and query optimization in detail.
Provides practical solutions to common SQL problems. It serves as a useful reference for writing complex queries and manipulating data. The 'SQL Cookbook' offers recipes for various tasks, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced SQL users. It expands on the course material by providing real-world examples and alternative approaches to solving database challenges.

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