Beginner SQL Learning Roadmap
Week 1–2: Basics of SQL
Goals: Understand what SQL is, basic querying
Topics:
- SELECT, FROM, WHERE
- Filtering with AND, OR, IN, BETWEEN
- ORDER BY, LIMIT
Resources:
- SQLBolt: https://sqlbolt.com
- Video: freeCodeCamp SQL Full Course (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=HXV3zeQKqGY)
- Book: Learning SQL by Alan Beaulieu
Week 3–4: Joins, Aggregation & Grouping
Goals: Combine data across tables, basic analysis
Topics:
- INNER JOIN, LEFT JOIN, RIGHT JOIN
- GROUP BY, HAVING
- COUNT(), SUM(), AVG(), MAX(), MIN()
Resources:
- LeetCode SQL: https://leetcode.com/problemset/database/
- Mode SQL Tutorial: https://mode.com/sql-tutorial/
- YouTube: SQL joins visual explanation
Week 5–6: Subqueries & CTEs
Goals: Handle complex questions, clean your queries
Topics:
- Subqueries (SELECT inside WHERE, etc.)
- CTEs (WITH clause)
- Nested queries
Resources:
- StrataScratch: https://www.stratascratch.com/
- YouTube: Subqueries and CTEs in SQL
Week 7–8: Projects & Real-World Practice
Goals: Build confidence by applying what you've learned
Topics:
- Movie database queries
- Sales dashboard query system
- Build a small employee database
Resources:
- Kaggle Datasets: https://www.kaggle.com/datasets
- Data.gov: https://www.data.gov/
- DB Fiddle: https://www.db-fiddle.com/
- SQLite Online: https://sqliteonline.com/
Extras to Explore Later
Goals: Broaden your SQL skillset
Topics:
- Database Design & Normalization
- Window Functions (ROW_NUMBER, RANK, etc.)
- SQL for Data Analysis (PostgreSQL or MySQL)