Get a simple introduction to MySQL- "without the overhead. Sheeri K. Cabral introduces the vocabulary and tools for MySQL, the world's most popular open-source database that powers everything from your neighbor's blog to Internet giants like Facebook. The goal of this course is to get you interacting with data and understanding just why databases are better. Most of the work is done at the command line, as Sheeri teaches you how to create a new database, build tables, read and edit database records, and use functions to query data. She also issues a series of challenges along the way that allow you to test your skills and compare your results with hers.

PHP is a popular programming language and the foundation of many smart, data-driven websites. This comprehensive course from Kevin Skoglund helps developers learn to use PHP to build interconnected webpages with dynamic content which can pass data between pages. Learn how PHP can simplify the creation of forms, read and validate form data, and display errors. Kevin also covers the fundamentals of MySQL and how to use PHP to efficiently and securely interact with a database to store and retrieve data. Throughout the course, he provides practical advice and offers examples of best practices.

The Database Clinic series pits experts and their databases of choice against a series of the same challenges, to highlight the unique capabilities of each database. In this installment of the series, Brad Wheeler demonstrates how MySQL- "one of the most widely-used database programs- "would rise to meet each task. After going over the strengths and weaknesses of MySQL, Brad shows how to create a database, and quickly load data into MySQL. He also explains how to join data sets; how to search, transform, and perform calculations with your data; and how to use external programming tools to interact with MySQL.