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Domain 07

DBMS & SQL

The layer everything else depends on. Design a schema well and the application above it gets simpler; design it badly and no amount of application code will save you.

No prerequisites
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Learning objectives

What you will be able to do.

  • Design a normalized relational schema from written requirements
  • Write queries that are both correct and efficient
  • Reason about transactions and concurrent access
  • Diagnose a slow query rather than guessing at it
  • Manage data safely as it changes over time

Who this is for

  • Any developer who touches a database, which is most of them
  • Students preparing for interviews where SQL is tested directly

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Tools and technologies

  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • SQL
  • DBeaver
  • ER modelling tools

Roles this prepares you for

  • Database Developer
  • Backend Developer
  • Data Engineer

Curriculum

5 modules, in the order they build on each other.

Each module ends in something you have made work, not just something you have watched.

  1. 01

    Relational modelling

    • Entities, relationships and keys
    • ER diagrams
    • Normalization to third normal form
    • When to denormalize deliberately
  2. 02

    SQL

    • Selecting, filtering and ordering
    • Joins and set operations
    • Aggregation and grouping
    • Subqueries and window functions
  3. 03

    Transactions

    • ACID properties
    • Isolation levels
    • Locking and deadlocks
    • Concurrency in practice
  4. 04

    Performance

    • Indexes and how they get chosen
    • Reading a query plan
    • Common anti-patterns
  5. 05

    Operations

    • Constraints and data integrity
    • Migrations
    • Backup and recovery concepts
    • Access control

Practical work

What you could build in this domain.

Project briefs are agreed with your mentor at the start, so the work suits the level you are actually at.

  • 01

    A normalized schema designed from a written brief

  • 02

    A reporting query set over a large sample dataset

  • 03

    A query optimisation exercise with before-and-after plans

Programs

How to study DBMS & SQL.

The same domain, in the format that fits your situation.

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DBMS & SQL is delivered as a Professional Technology Track — a focused pathway through this domain rather than a scheduled cohort program. Talk to a counsellor about how it can be structured around what you already know.

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