SQL & Data Foundations for Business Teams
In most organisations, the answer to a business question waits days in a data team’s queue — for a query that takes forty seconds to write. SQL is not a programming language for engineers; it is the literacy of organisational data, and business teams can learn it fast.
Format
Classroom · Virtual
Upcoming sessions
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This two-day SQL training course gives business teams direct, competent, safe access to the data they already own. It begins where self-service starts: understanding how organisational data is structured — tables, keys, operational systems versus the data warehouse — so queries aim at the right place. Participants build the core craft hands-on: selecting and filtering; joining tables without silently multiplying or losing rows; aggregating with grouping and conditions; and shaping results that drop cleanly into Excel or Power BI. Equally, it teaches self-service without breaking things: read-only discipline, query cost awareness, sanity-checking results against known totals, and knowing when a question belongs with data engineering. Written for analysts and business users, not developers, it practises every concept on a realistic warehouse. As a private in-house programme it is at its best — cohorts learn on a copy of their own schema and leave already productive. Delivered in English and French across the Middle East, Africa and Asia — Dubai, Doha, Nairobi, Lagos, Kuala Lumpur — and live online.
What you will do
Who attends
Business analysts, finance and commercial analysts, operations and supply chain specialists, marketing and CRM teams, MI and reporting professionals — anyone who depends on data extracts prepared by others and wants to query the source directly. No programming background is required; comfort with Excel and a willingness to type are enough. In-house cohorts drawn from a single function gain the most: the queries written in class are the ones they will run next week.
Programme agenda
Built for the decisions no textbook prepares you for
I.How organisational data is organised
- Tables, rows, keys and relationships — the relational model in plain language
- Operational systems versus the data warehouse: why they differ and why it matters
- Finding your way: schemas, documentation and asking the right person the right question
II.The core query
- SELECT, WHERE and ORDER BY: precise questions, precise answers
- Calculated columns, text and date handling for business data
- NULLs and the surprises they cause — read once, avoided forever
III.Joins without fear
- Inner and outer joins: what each keeps, what each drops
- The fan-out trap: how joins silently multiply rows, and how to catch it
- Joining across three or more tables on a realistic warehouse schema
IV.Aggregation & business questions
- GROUP BY, HAVING and the level-of-detail discipline behind every correct total
- Conditional aggregation: segments, buckets and flags in one pass
- Subqueries and CTEs — just enough to keep complex questions readable
V.Self-service without breaking things
- Read-only discipline, query cost and being a good citizen of a shared warehouse
- Validating results: reconciling against known totals before anyone acts on them
- Feeding Excel and Power BI — and the working partnership with the data engineering team
Frequently asked
Is the course suitable for people with no programming background?
Yes — it is written for analysts and business users, not developers. No programming background is required; comfort with Excel and a willingness to type are enough. The course begins with how organisational data is actually structured — tables, keys, the warehouse versus operational systems — before building the core query craft hands-on on a realistic warehouse.
What can I realistically do with SQL after two days?
Query the data your organisation already owns: write clear SELECT statements with filters and calculated columns, join tables without silently multiplying or losing rows, aggregate with grouping and conditions, and keep complex questions readable with subqueries and CTEs. You will also shape result sets that drop cleanly into Excel or Power BI, and validate results against known totals before anyone acts on them.
Can the in-house edition use our own database schema?
Yes — and this is where the course is at its best. Private in-house cohorts learn on a copy of their own schema, so the queries written in class are the ones the team will run the following week. Each edition is tailored to the institution and delivered in English or French, at your offices or live online.
When are the next dates, and how are fees arranged?
The programme runs on a rolling calendar across the Middle East, Africa and Asia — including Dubai, Doha, Nairobi, Lagos and Kuala Lumpur — and live online; dates are confirmed on request. Fees and team quotations are provided on enquiry. Delivery is available in English and French, for open-enrolment seats and in-house editions alike.
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Take the brochure with you.
One request — the full agenda, the faculty and the next cohort dates, sent personally by the admissions team.