Stage 1 of 9 · 8 lessons · ~2 weeks

Relational thinking and your setup

Learn what tables, keys and relationships are, install your database locally with a GUI and a command-line client, and load a realistic sample database to practise on.

Start: Tables, rows and columns

Lessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order

Do this

Install your database server locally, or in Docker, and note the version, port and admin user.
Install a GUI client and connect to your server.
Connect with the command-line client, list tables and run a script file.
Load a sample database and list its main tables and how they relate.
Write a script that creates two related tables with primary and foreign keys and inserts a few rows.
Start a Git repository for every .sql file you write in this roadmap.

Start with· follow one of these

CourseFree
CS50's Introduction to Databases with SQL
Harvard University · Beginner
Watch Lecture 0 (Querying) for the relational model; it uses SQLite, and the ideas carry straight across
CourseFree
Query and modify data with Transact-SQL
Microsoft · Beginner
Start with the Introduction to Transact-SQL module; it sets up a sample database in the browser or locally

Keep handy

SQL Server Documentation
Install guides for Windows, Linux and containers, plus the sqlcmd and SSMS quickstarts
roadmap.sh: SQL
A one-page map of SQL topics: use it to see where each stage of this roadmap fits

Before moving on: Your database running locally, a GUI and the command-line client both connected, a sample database loaded, and a saved script that creates two related tables with keys and a few rows.

Tauseef's advice

Use the free Developer edition to learn and remember it is not licensed for production. On a Mac, run SQL Server in Docker and use VS Code with the MSSQL extension. Learn sqlcmd too, and keep every script you write in Git from day one.