Query and modify data with Transact-SQL

What it is

This is a free learning path on Microsoft Learn that teaches Transact-SQL (T-SQL), the dialect used by SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance and SQL database in Microsoft Fabric. As of 2026-09 it has six modules (source: Microsoft Learn):

1. Introduction to Transact-SQL: relational databases, the SQL language and the SELECT statement.
2. Sort and filter results in T-SQL.
3. Combine multiple tables with JOINs in T-SQL.
4. Write subqueries in T-SQL.
5. Use built-in functions and GROUP BY in Transact-SQL.
6. Modify data with T-SQL: insert, update and delete, and generating automatic values.

Each module is a few short units of reading followed by an exercise and a knowledge check. Microsoft lists it at beginner level, with familiarity with tables of data, such as a spreadsheet, as the only prerequisite.

Is it worth your time?

Yes, if you have chosen SQL Server. It is official, current, free and written in T-SQL from the start, so you learn TOP, OFFSET FETCH, IDENTITY and T-SQL functions rather than translating from another dialect. It is short: expect it to cover the basics well but not window functions, transactions, indexing or schema design, which you will need to learn elsewhere.

Prerequisites and setup

No prior SQL. The exercises use a sample database; follow the module instructions to set it up, or use your own local SQL Server with the AdventureWorks sample database and SSMS or VS Code with the MSSQL extension.

Free vs paid

Free. You need a Microsoft account only if you want to save progress and earn the path's achievement.

How to use it well

• Type every query yourself in your own local SQL Server as well as in the exercise environment.
• After each module, write three more queries of your own against the sample database without looking at the examples.
• Keep the T-SQL reference open for any function the module mentions briefly.

What you can do after it

Write single-table and multi-table queries, group and summarise data, use subqueries and change data in SQL Server. From there, move on to window functions, transactions and indexing, where Microsoft's SQL Server documentation and practice sites take over.

Common questions

Is T-SQL different from standard SQL? The core is the same. T-SQL adds its own syntax, such as TOP, and procedural features, and some functions have different names from PostgreSQL or MySQL.

Does it lead to a certification? It is useful background for Microsoft's data certifications but is not itself a certification.