10 Best SQL Certifications to Get in 2024

For database administrators, back-end developers, and data science professionals, SQL is a must-have skill. SQL or Structure Query Language is the standard data query language for relational databases.

Mastering SQL can give you an advantage while looking for better job opportunities as it is high in demand. By leveraging SQL, you can easily manage the data stored in relational database management systems (RDBMS).

With SQL, it becomes fairly easy to fetch, update, insert, and delete data stored in a relational database. Also, there are several advanced queries that you can use to manipulate data.

If you want to take your knowledge of SQL to the next level and showcase your skills to potential employers, you should consider enrolling in a SQL certification program.

Adding a SQL certification to your portfolio will make it more noticeable. Also, the certification helps you demonstrate your expertise in SQL.

In this article, we are going to list down the best SQL certification exams and programs available online that you can enroll in if you want to master SQL. So without further ado, let’s get started.

Top 6 SQL Certifications To Boost Your Data Career

1. Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals

Certification Provider: Microsoft

Prerequisites

• Basic Knowledge of Azure services, SQL, RDBMS, and data definition language (DDL).

Certification Overview

If you want to become a Microsoft Certified expert who can deal with data on the cloud, you can consider adding this certification to your portfolio. As this is a certification exam, you need to strengthen your knowledge of certain topics to pass the exam.

To be specific, you need to brush up on your knowledge of Azure services, relational database management systems (RDBMS), relational data, non-relational data, SQL, big data, and data analysis .

Microsoft also offers various learning modules to help you understand all the essential concepts for passing the examination successfully. Also, you can take practice exams to prepare yourself with the exam pattern and the types of questions.

Exam Details

Key Highlights

• The certification exam is available for a nominal price of $99.
• It can help you get Azure SQL Developer job opportunities.

Sign up here for this certification.

2. Oracle Cloud Database Services 2023 Professional (1Z0-1093-22)

Certification Provider: Oracle

Prerequisites

• Fundamental knowledge of Oracle Cloud Database Services.

Certification Overview

Offered by Oracle, this certification can help you jumpstart your career as an Oracle Database Administrator. To pass Oracle Cloud Database Services 2023 Professional (1Z0-1093-22) exam, you need to develop an in-depth understanding of various topics, including Oracle Base Database Service, VM DB system, Exabase Database Service, MySQL HeatWave Database, and Oracle NoSQL Database Cloud Service.

Oracle offers a comprehensive Database Services workshop to help you learn all the concepts required to pass the certification. Moreover, you can take the practice exam to assess your preparation for the actual exam. Once you pass the exam, you will receive the official credential for the certification.

Exam Details

Key Highlights

• You can take the exam online at a time that best suits your schedule.

To get started with this certification, sign up here .

3. Oracle Certified Professional, MySQL 5.7 Database Administrator Certification

Certification Provider: Oracle

Prerequisites

• To appear in the certification exam, you need to have knowledge of basic SQL concepts.

Certification Overview

If you want to become an Oracle-certified SQL professional, you can consider taking this certification exam. To appear in this certification exam, you need to have good knowledge of MySQL , a relational database management system, along with SQL.

There are two courses available to prepare for this certification exam, namely MySQL Fundamentals Ed1 and MySQL 5.7 for Database Administrators. It is possible to crack the exam on the first attempt if you already have basic level knowledge of SQL and MySQL.

Exam Details

Key Highlights

• It is a beginner-level certification, so you need to learn the fundamentals of SQL and MySQL to pass the exam.
• The certification will help recruiters see that you have the required skills for configuring, managing, and monitoring relational database management systems.

Enroll here to get started with the certification.

4. Oracle Database Foundations (1Z0-006)

Certification Provider: Oracle

Prerequisites

• None

Certification Overview

If you are an absolute beginner to databases, the Oracle Database Foundations is the ideal certification to pursue. This foundational level certification validates your knowledge of various kinds of database models and components. In addition, it tests your understanding of database concepts and design, SQL language and queries, implementation of business roles, and ERD modeling and languages to handle data and transactions.

You will find 6 different certification training courses to prepare for the certification exam. Choose any one of the training courses and get equipped with the skills required for passing the certification exam.

Exam Details

Highlights

• It is a beginner-level certification with no prerequisites.
• The certification program does not require any hands-on experience with the Oracle Database products.

Get started with the certification by enrolling here .

5. IBM Certified Database Associate

Certification Provider: IBM

Prerequisites

• Basic understanding of SQL and a little bit of experience using DB2 11.1.
• Exam C2090-616: DB2 11.1 Fundamentals for LUW.

Certification Overview

IBM Certified Database Associate is an entry-level certification for individuals having familiarity with DB2 11.1. One who holds this certification is well-versed in using DB2 11.1 for LUW. In addition, individuals should possess a thorough understanding of entry-level to mid-level tasks for everyday database administration. Further, this certification helps learners to develop an understanding of database security, transaction isolation, SQL, database creation, and the products available with DB2 11.1.

Exam Details

Highlights

• It is an entry-level certification.
• The certification is going to expire on Mar 31st, 2023.

Enroll for the certification here .

6. PostgreSQL 12 Associate Certification

Certification Provider: EDB

Prerequisites

• Foundations of PostgreSQL course

Certification Overview

The PostgreSQL 12 Associate Certification validates an individual’s skills in managing and maintaining PostgreSQL Server and all other related applications in a production environment. It demonstrates that you are well-equipped with the knowledge required to work with the PostgreSQL servers.

Exam Details

Highlights

• You will receive a digital badge after successfully passing the certification exam.
• After purchasing the certification, you are eligible to take the exam anytime within 6 weeks.

Get your certification by enrolling here .

Best SQL Certification Programs

Here is a list of the best SQL certification programs that help you develop the essential knowledge required to pass the aforementioned certification exams.

1. The Complete SQL Bootcamp 2023: Go from Zero to Hero

Certification Provider: Udemy

Duration: 8 hours 51 minutes

Instructor: Jose Portilla

Certificate: Yes

Prerequisites

• A working computer system.
• Basic computer knowledge.

Certification Overview

If you are completely new to SQL and want to start learning its fundamentals, this certification by Udemy is a perfect fit for you. The curriculum of this certification course is created by Jose Portilla, who is an experienced instructor with expertise in data science , Python programming, and machine learning .

The author has divided this course into 12 sections that combine several video lessons and articles. Also, you get access to 13 downloadable resources with this certification course. At the end of the course, you will become familiar with the SQL statement fundamentals and advanced SQL commands .

During the course, you will also learn GROUP BY statements, JOINS, and conditional expressions and procedures. Additionally, there are three assessment tests to help you test your knowledge.

Key Highlights

• It’ll help you understand how to perform data analysis with SQL.
• You will get an overview of PostgreSQL, which is a relational database management system (RDBMS).
• The certification course is self-paced, and thus you can complete it at your own pace.

Enroll here to get started with the course.

2. Databases and SQL for Data Science with Python

Certification Provider: Coursera

Duration: 37 hours

Instructor: Rav Ahuja, Hima Vasudevan

Certificate: Yes

Prerequisites

• Basic computer knowledge and a working computer system.

Certification Overview

If you are interested in pursuing a career in data science and want to boost your knowledge of managing data stored in databases with SQL, you should consider enrolling in this certification program. Offered by IBM, Databases and SQL for Data Science with Python is among the top-rated online SQL certification programs.

One key advantage of taking this certification course is that you can take lectures at your convenience. The whole certification course comprises 6 modules with recommended duration to complete each module is one week. To ensure effective learning, the course combines several video lectures, readable documents, and quizzes.

With this certification, you will be able to acquire the knowledge required to analyze data stored within a database by utilizing SQL and Python, creating SQL statements for selecting, inserting, deleting, and updating data, and creating relational databases on the cloud.

Key Highlights

• The certification course will introduce you to Python programming language .
• It is utterly suitable for beginners with zero knowledge of SQL.
• The video lectures come with subtitles that are available in English, Arabic, and Persian languages.

You can register for the course here .

3. The Complete Oracle SQL Bootcamp

Certification Provider: Udemy

Duration: 32 hours 27 minutes

Instructor: Oracle Master Training, Code Star Academy

Certificate: Yes

Prerequisites

• A working computer with Windows, macOS, or Linux operating system.

Certification Overview

The Complete Oracle SQL Bootcamp certification is available on Udemy. This certification is suitable for individuals who have little to no prior knowledge of SQL or programming. So, if you are just starting out in your programming career, this course can help you make real progress.

Apart from helping you learn the ins and outs of SQL, this course will prepare you for the Oracle 1Z0-071 SQL Database SQL Certification exam. Also, you will develop all the essential skills you need to work as a professional SQL developer. The certification course has more than 56K enrollees, and it is one of the bestsellers on Udemy.

There are a total of 23 sections in the course that you need to finish before you get a certificate of completion. Some of the key topics that you’ll be learning with this certification course include the process of setting up an Oracle database, single-row functions, conversion functions, conditional expressions, subqueries, data definition language statements, database views, and Oracle sequences.

Key Highlights

• The certification course will help you master Oracle SQL.
• It features several quizzes to help you keep check on your learning progress.
• It is available at a nominal price
• You can access the course contents for a lifetime.

Get your course by signing up here .

4. Learning SQL Programming

Certification Provider: LinkedIn Learning

Duration: 1 hour 46 minutes

Instructor: Scott Simpson

Certificate: Yes

Prerequisites

• Basic computer knowledge and a computer system.

Certification Overview

Learning SQL Programming is a certification course offered by LinkedIn learning that will help you get familiar with the basics of SQL. The duration of this course is under 2 hours, but it gives you a head start by teaching you several basic SQL concepts. The best part is that you get a certification after you pass the exam at the end of the course.

By taking the certification course, you will learn how to retrieve data stored in a database, sort the retrieved data, and edit and delete data present in a database. Also, it will teach you how to use SQL JOINS to aggregate data from multiple tables and manipulate data using different math operations.

The instructor for this course is Scott Simpson, and he is one of the most popular instructors on LinkedIn Learning, with more than 13 years of teaching experience. You will learn SQL concepts by watching video lectures prepared by Scott.

Key Highlights

• The average user rating of this certification course is 4.8 stars.
• You can finish the certification course at your own pace.

Start learning the course by enrolling here .

5. Managing Big Data with SQL

Certification Provider: Coursera

Duration: 32 hours

Instructor: Daniel Egger, Jana Schaich Borg

Certificate: Yes

Prerequisites

• A working computer system and zeal to learn are what you need to enroll in this certification course.

Certification Overview

Managing Big Data with SQL is yet another excellent SQL certification offered by Coursera. Duke University has created the curriculum for this certification course. Rated by more than 3.9K students, the average rating of this certification is 4.7 stars out of 5. By enrolling in this certification program, you will learn the use of SQL and MySQL for managing big data.

There are 5 sections in Managing Big Data with SQL, and each section discusses multiple topics. You will start learning the fundamentals of relational databases and then move forward to understand how to write queries for extracting data from single tables and summarizing groups of data from multiple tables.

Apart from video lectures, you can attempt quizzes to test your knowledge of SQL and MySQ L. After completing the certification course, you will develop an in-depth understanding of the working of relational databases and queries for manipulating data stored within a relational database.

Key Highlights

• The certification course is completely online and offers flexible deadlines.
• You will get to know about data analysis and Teradata (relational database management system).
• You can access the course content via smartphones and tablets.

Get started with the course here .

6. Learn SQL

Certification Provider: Codecademy

Duration: 8 hours

Certificate: Yes

Prerequisites

• A working computer system.

Certification Overview

Learn SQL is a certification program that you can access on the Codecademy platform. Pursuing this certification can be a great idea considering it’ll help you boost your knowledge of SQL. You will learn how to use SQL for communicating with relational databases.

One of the biggest advantages of enrolling in this SQL certification is that you will work on various live projects to visualize the real-world implementation of SQL. While working on the projects, you will learn how to create tables in a relational database with SQL and use aggregate functions to retrieve and merge data from multiple tables.

The curriculum of this certification program consists of 4 modules, with each module discussing one major SQL concept. To be more specific, the first and second modules teach you about data manipulation and queries, respectively. The remaining two modules talk about aggregate functions and working with multiple tables.

Key Highlights

• Each learning module contains a lesson, 1 quiz, and at least 1 project.
• You can complete the course at your own pace.
• The course is accessible via mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

Sign up here to start learning the course.

7. Advanced SQL for Data Scientists

Certification Provider: LinkedIn Learning

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Instructor: Dan Sullivan

Certificate: Yes

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with the intermediate-level SQL concepts is essential.

Certification Overview

Offered by LinkedIn Learning, Advanced SQL for Data Scientists certification course helps you explore various advanced concepts in SQL. The course is specifically suitable for data science professionals who want to take their knowledge of SQL to the next level. The course discusses how you can leverage advanced SQL queries to deal with large amounts of data.

The instructor for this certification course, Dan Sullivan, helps you take a deep dive into the practices for designing data models that accommodate big chunks of data. Also, he discusses how to optimize basic, multi-join, and complex queries.

Advanced SQL for Data Scientists follows a step-by-step learning approach, and thus the course is divided into 5 main sections. The first two sections discuss data modeling, while the latter sections explain the intricacies of query optimization, user-defined functions, and special-purpose functionalities in SQL.

Key Highlights

• Each section contains a quiz to assess your knowledge.
• Video lectures ensure effective learning.
• You can access the learning materials over smartphones and tablets.
• It is possible to add the certification to your LinkedIn profile.

Start your learning with this course by signing up here .

8. SQL - MySQL for Data Analytics and Business Intelligence

Certification Provider: Udemy

Duration: 10 hours (approx.)

Instructor: 365 Careers

Certificate: Yes

Prerequisites

• Basic computer knowledge.

Certification Overview

This certification can be a great pick if you want to learn SQL and use it for business analysis, data management, or marketing. Created by 365 Career academy, SQL - MySQL for Data Analytics and Business Intelligence helps you learn SQL right from scratch. This lengthy certification course covers a variety of topics that will help you develop the skills needed to become a SQL developer.

To get the certification, you need to complete all 27 sections in this course. Some of the key topics covered in the certification course include SQL theory, basic database terminology, basic SQL statements, aggregate functions, and SQL Joins and subqueries. Also, you will explore various advanced SQL topics such as MySQL variables, triggers, indexes, and CASE statements.

Within the course, there are several lessons that aim to make you familiar with the Tableau platform and its integration with SQL. Apart from learning with interactive video lectures, you will get access to 154 articles and 96 downloadable resources.

Key Highlights

• The certification course will teach you how to work with MySQL databases efficiently.
• There are multiple exercises to help you strengthen your knowledge of SQL and MySQL.
• The video lectures are available with subtitles in 16 different languages, including English, German, French, Japanese, Thai, and Turkish.

Sign up here to get started with the course.

9. Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization

Certification Provider: Coursera

Duration: 7 months (4 hours/week)

Instructor: Daniel Egger, Jana Schaich Borg

Certificate: Yes

Prerequisites

• Basic computer knowledge
• A working computer system with an active internet connection.

Certification Overview

Compared to other certification programs on our list, this certification is quite different. Basically, it is a specialization program that clubs together 5 courses to teach you MySQL, Excel and Tableau . You can opt for this specialization if you want to pursue a job role that requires you to work with huge amounts of data.

Offered by Duke University, you can access this specialization on Coursera. Some of the key skills that you’ll develop after completing all the courses within the specialization include data analysis, business analysis, SQL, MySQL, Microsoft Excel, data visualization , and business analytics.

While this is a comprehensive course for data science professionals and database administrators, it is utterly suitable for beginners. You can get a certificate of completion with each course. Also, you will be working on several hands-on projects to understand the real-world implementation of concepts.

Key Highlights

• You get the option to enroll in a single course.
• With no specific deadlines, you can complete the course at your own pace.
• Each course comprises video lectures, quizzes, and projects.

Get started with the course here .

To Sum it All Up

SQL is a powerful data query language that you can use to work with a relational database management system (RDBMS), such as MySQL, Oracle Database, PostgreSQL, and SQLite. Enrolling in a SQL certification is a great way to enhance your knowledge of the query language and get better job opportunities.

The SQL certifications in our list above are the best ones available on the web. After getting a certification, you can add it to your resume and let recruiters know about your proficiency in SQL. Also, you can take multiple certifications and showcase your expertise in writing SQL queries to manipulate data stored in a relational database.

Before you enroll in any certification, make sure to take a quick overview of the syllabus. This will help you pick the right SQL certification that meets your requirements.

Good luck!

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