5 Websites to Learn SQL Online for FREE

SQL is one of the most important skill for any programmer be it a Java, C++, PHP or Ruby developer. Almost 95% of the Java applications uses relational database in their back-end and almost all web applications uses database. In recent years, one of the most common way to learn any programming skill is online, at your comfort of office or home and SQL is no different. Learning SQL online has another advantage of quick head start because you don't need to install database and create tables to write some SELECT queries. Once you start writing queries and seeing result, you feel that confidence needed to go to next level, which involves downloading and installing free copy of popular databases e.g. MySQL, SQL Server or Oracle in your machine. From my experience I can say that SQL is easy to learn but difficult to master. You can start writing SQL queries in about an hour or so, but when it comes to write queries to solve real time requirements or for reporting purpose, its not that easy. Practicing SQL online on sites like SQLZoo or SQLFiddle will help you to keep yourself up-to-date. You can also take help from some good SQL books like Head First SQL if you are beginner, head first way is one of the best way to learn SQL.

5 Resources to Learn SQL Online for FREE

Here is my collection of top five website, which I found good to learn and master SQL.  There are many websites, blogs and tutorials out there on internet but at same time its difficult to find excellent resources. Since I have passion to collect good resources for learning technology, I always bookmark my great discoveries. These websites are some of those.

SQLZoo

SQLZoo is one of the best and I guess most popular website for learning SQL online. It provides both tutorials and exercises and that's why it is equally useful for someone just starting with SQLand programmers who knows SQL but want some good practice to really master it. SQLZoo provides easy to understand tutorial and interactive examples to write queries and see results right in your browser. You will find SQL interactive tutorials, examples and exercise in this website. It covers most of the SQL clauses e.g. SELECT clause to read data, CREATE to make new database, ALTER to change database and DELETE to remove data and tables. It also covers advanced concepts e.g. GROUP BY, Indexes, Views, SQL Joins, Sub-queries, handling NULL values in SQL etc. SQLZoo also has several SQL quiz to test your knowledge. In short, this site is one of the best resource to learn and master SQL online and its FREE. Every programmer who has interest on SQL can benefit from this site.

SQL Course from Stanford University

This is a free SQL course provided by Stanford university. This course contains good SQL video tutorials to explain both basic and advanced concept of SQL and Relational database. You can use this course in both registered and non-registered mode, though its better to get registered to save your progress. It's also a self paced course, so you can learn with your own speed. This website also provides all course material for free e.g. SQL scripts, course slides etc which you can download from relevant sections. Given this course is from Stanford university, you can be rest assured of quality.

SQL Course from Khan Academy

Khan Academy, one of the best website to learn computer science and programming online also has good SQL tutorial with title "Intro to SQL: Querying and managing databases". In this tutorial, you'll learn how to use SQL to store, query, and manipulate data. SQL is a special-purpose programming language designed for managing data in a relational database, and is used by a huge number of apps and organizations. I have used some tutorials from Khan Academy in past and this is one of them, its like virtual class room. A good companion of SQLZoo, makes your study complete.

SQLBolt

SQLBolt is another good website to learn SQL with simple, interactive examples. It contains a series of interactive lessons and exercises designed to help you quickly learn SQL right in your browser. It contains 20 lessons starting from basic SQL query to more advanced and confusing Join queries, aggregation, filtering and dealing with nulls. It is one of the best resource to learn SQL for complete beginners. So if you are the one who wants to learn SQL or you know SQL but doesn't feel comfortable then go and tryout SQLBolt's interactive SQL tutorials. SQLBolt also has SQL task after each lesson, which will force you to use the knowledge you have learned in the lesson. The quality of queries are good, easy to start with and getting difficult afterwards. If you are stuck while writing SQL query to solve the task, you can even take help from their solution. I suggest you to finish the task as soon as you finish the lessor and then next day just do the task with some variation.

Essential SQL

This is a blog like website which contains small blog length tutorial on different SQL clauses. Like previous two websites this also provides lots of material on SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE clause.

That's all about some of the best resources to learn SQL online for FREE. Though Internet is full of free stuff its hard to find good resource. I still respect curated resources and have benefited a lot from them. Though nothing can substitute classroom training, a combination of books, blogs, video tutorials and interactive website can really help you to get there. Also if you are someone like me who knows SQL but always looking to increase knowledge and loves to try out some good SQL queries, check out  Joe Celko's SQL Puzzles and Answers, Second Edition, its one of the excellent resource to learn and master SQL programming.

Some other FREE online resources for Programmers

• Practice SQL queries online on any database using SQLFiddle (see here)
• 2 Websites to Learn Coding Online in Java and Python (see here)
• Top 5 Java EE Blogs Developer Should Follow (see here)
• Top 5 Forums for Java Developers (see here)
• 10 Free Books to Learn Java (check here)
• 5 Free Books to Learn Scala for Java Developers (check here)

Recommended SQL Books for Further Reading

• Beginning SQL Queries: From Novice to Professional by Clare Churcherss (check here)
• Joe Celko's SQL Puzzles and Answers, Second Edition (check here )
• Head First SQL: Your Brain on SQL -- A Learner's Guide (check here)