SQL for Data Science with R (Coursera)

Offered by IBM,
SQL for Data Science with R (Coursera)

Much of the world's data resides in databases. SQL (or Structured Query Language) is a powerful language which is used for communicating with and extracting data from databases. A working knowledge of databases and SQL is a must if you want to become a data scientist. The purpose of this course is to introduce relational database concepts and help you learn and apply foundational knowledge of the SQL and R languages. It is also intended to get you started with performing SQL access in a data science environment.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

The emphasis in this course is on hands-on and practical learning . As such, you will work with real databases, real data science tools, and real-world datasets. You will create a database instance in the cloud. Through a series of hands-on labs you will practice building and running SQL queries. You will also learn how to access databases from Jupyter notebooks using SQL and R.
No prior knowledge of databases, SQL, R, or programming is required.
Anyone can audit this course at no-charge. If you choose to take this course and earn the Coursera course certificate, you can also earn an IBM digital badge upon successful completion of the course.
Course 2 of 5 in the Applied Data Science with R Specialization

What You Will Learn

  • Create and access a database instance on cloud
  • Write basic SQL statements: CREATE, DROP, SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
  • Filter, sort, group results, use built-in functions, compose nested queries, access multiple tables
  • Access databases from Jupyter using R and SQL to query real-world datasets

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Getting Started with SQL
Structured Query Language, or SQL, provides a standard language for selecting and manipulating data in a relational database. Understanding SQL is a foundational skill that you must have when applying data science principles in R because SQL is the key to helping you unlock insights about the information stored deep inside relational databases. In this module, you will learn some basic SQL statements and practice them hands-on on a live database.

WEEK 2
Introduction to Relational Databases and Tables
In this module, you will explore the fundamental concepts behind databases, tables, and the relationships between them. You will then create an instance of a database, discover SQL statements that allow you to create and manipulate tables, and then practice them on your own live database.

WEEK 3
Intermediate SQL
In this module, you will learn how to use string patterns and ranges to search data and how to sort and group data in result sets. You will also practice composing nested queries and execute select statements to access data from multiple tables.

WEEK 4
Getting Started with Databases using R
In this module, you will learn the benefits of using R to connect to relational databases and how to persist R database objects in files. You’ll also learn some of the similarities between R data frames and relational databases, including how data types compare and when you must convert from one type to another to improve the effectiveness of your data analysis. Finally, you’ll learn different methods for connecting to a database from R.

WEEK 5
Working with Database Objects using R
In this module, you will learn the full process of accessing and querying databases using R. You’ll learn how to create the logical and physical model of the database and then implement the model by creating the physical database objects and loading them with data. Finally, you’ll examine an example of accessing and querying the database.

WEEK 6
Course Project
In this assignment, you will be working with multiple real-world datasets for the Canadian Crop Data and Exchange Rates. You will be asked questions that will help you understand the data just as you would in the real world. You will be assessed on the correctness of your SQL queries and results.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Using Databases with Python (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Using Databases with Python (Coursera)

This course will introduce students to the basics of the Structured Query Language (SQL) as well as basic database design for storing data as part of a multi-step data gathering, analysis, and processing effort. The course will use SQLite3 as its database. We will also build web crawlers and multi-step data gathering and visualization processes. We will use the D3.js library to do basic data visualization.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Big Data Analysis with Scala and Spark (Coursera) Coursera
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Big Data Analysis with Scala and Spark (Coursera)

Manipulating big data distributed over a cluster using functional concepts is rampant in industry, and is arguably one of the first widespread industrial uses of functional ideas. This is evidenced by the popularity of MapReduce and Hadoop, and most recently Apache Spark, a fast, in-memory distributed collections framework written in Scala. In this course, we'll see how the data parallel paradigm can be extended to the distributed case, using Spark throughout.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Advanced Linear Models for Data Science 1: Least Squares (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Advanced Linear Models for Data Science 1: Least Squares (Coursera)

Welcome to the Advanced Linear Models for Data Science Class 1: Least Squares. This class is an introduction to least squares from a linear algebraic and mathematical perspective. Before beginning the class make sure that you have the following: a basic understanding of linear algebra and multivariate calculus; a basic understanding of statistics and regression models; at least a little familiarity with proof based mathematics; basic knowledge of the R programming language.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Data Science Ethics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Data Science Ethics (Coursera)

What are the ethical considerations regarding the privacy and control of consumer information and big data, especially in the aftermath of recent large-scale data breaches? This course provides a framework to analyze these concerns as you examine the ethical and privacy implications of collecting and managing big data. Explore the broader impact of the data science field on modern society and the principles of fairness, accountability and transparency as you gain a deeper understanding of the importance of a shared set of ethical values.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Practical Machine Learning on H2O (Coursera) Coursera
H2O.ai

Practical Machine Learning on H2O (Coursera)

In this course, we will learn all the core techniques needed to make effective use of H2O. Even if you have no prior experience of machine learning, even if your math is weak, by the end of this course you will be able to make machine learning models using a variety of algorithms. We will be using linear models, random forest, GBMs and of course deep learning, as well as some unsupervised learning algorithms.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Machine Learning Introduction for Everyone (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Machine Learning Introduction for Everyone (Coursera)

This three-module course introduces machine learning and data science for everyone with a foundational understanding of machine learning models. You’ll learn about the history of machine learning, applications of machine learning, the machine learning model lifecycle, and tools for machine learning. You’ll also learn about supervised versus unsupervised learning, classification, regression, evaluating machine learning models, and more.

Nov 9th 2026
3 Weeks
Process Mining: Data science in Action (Coursera) Coursera
Eindhoven University of Technology

Process Mining: Data science in Action (Coursera)

Process mining is the missing link between model-based process analysis and data-oriented analysis techniques. Through concrete data sets and easy to use software the course provides data science knowledge that can be applied directly to analyze and improve processes in a variety of domains. Data science is the profession of the future, because organizations that are unable to use (big) data in a smart way will not survive. It is not sufficient to focus on data storage and data analysis. The data scientist also needs to relate data to process analysis.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Precision Medicine (Coursera) Coursera
University of Geneva

Precision Medicine (Coursera)

This course will provide you with the key knowledge and tools to understand the fundamentals and practical implications of precision medicine, its opportunities and challenges. It will address precision-medicine era diagnostics, treatment selection, genetic counseling, public health interventions, and biomedical research. It will also deal with data science and ethical issues. From genomic analysis and genetic counseling to cancer biomarkers, from risk assessment of chronic diseases to the understanding of gene-environment interactions, from pharmacogenomics to multi-omics data integration, experts will walk you through the many aspects of precision medicine, from the bench to the bedside and to population health.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Exam Prep DP-300: Azure Database Administrator Associate (Coursera) Coursera
Whizlabs

Exam Prep DP-300: Azure Database Administrator Associate (Coursera)

Database administration is one of the basic necessities of every enterprise. The growth of cloud and On-premises relational databases continues to create the need for professional database administrators. Therefore, an updated certification such as DP-300 could open up favorable options for employment of database administrators.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Genomic Technologies (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Introduction to Genomic Technologies (Coursera)

This course introduces you to the basic biology of modern genomics and the experimental tools that we use to measure it. We'll introduce the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology and cover how next-generation sequencing can be used to measure DNA, RNA, and epigenetic patterns. You'll also get an introduction to the key concepts in computing and data science that you'll need to understand how data from next-generation sequencing experiments are generated and analyzed.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to Relational Databases (Coursera) Coursera
Illinois Tech

Introduction to Relational Databases (Coursera)

Database management systems are a crucial part of most large-scale industry and open-source systems. This course will introduce you to important concepts of database systems and design. We will learn what relational databases are, what they are used for, the theory underlying their design, and how to query and modify a database using the declarative SQL language.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Accounting Data Analytics with Python (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Accounting Data Analytics with Python (Coursera)

This course focuses on developing Python skills for assembling business data. It will cover some of the same material from Introduction to Accounting Data Analytics and Visualization, but in a more general purpose programming environment (Jupyter Notebook for Python), rather than in Excel and the Visual Basic Editor. These concepts are taught within the context of one or more accounting data domains (e.g., financial statement data from EDGAR, stock data, loan data, point-of-sale data).

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks