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The Ultimate MySQL Bootcamp: Go from SQL Beginner to Expert (Udemy.com)

COMPLETELY REDONE! Master SQL, Work With Complex Databases, Build Reports, and More!

Created by: Colt Steele

Last updated July 2026

Our take

Based on the ratings of 109,622 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in July 2026. No course pays to be reviewed.

The course is a beginner's path through MySQL, rebuilt from scratch with over 325 new videos and last updated in July 2026. Nearly 18 hours of video across 337 lectures start with five minutes of SQL, then move through CRUD, string and aggregate functions, joins, views, window functions, and triggers. The last stretch clones an Instagram-style database and runs reports against a large dataset. It is aimed at people with no database experience at all, including marketers and business owners, though developers who want a solid grounding in MySQL will get plenty out of it too.

Students consistently praise Colt Steele's teaching. Reviewers call the pace well judged and the explanations clear enough that someone with zero SQL knowledge can follow along, and one reviewer likes that the code files are posted after each video. The 4.7 rating across 109,000 reviews is earned, with more than 66,000 five-star ratings and fewer than 2,000 at one or two stars. The complaints are small but real. One three-star review notes that some exercise instructions don't match the posted solutions, and another reviewer mentions that some sections are old. There are no quizzes or graded coding exercises, so practice depends on actually working the challenges.

It sits beside The Complete SQL Bootcamp and the analytics-focused MySQL for Data Analytics and Business Intelligence course. This one spends whole sections on schema design, many-to-many relationships, and window functions, which makes it a strong pick for anyone who wants to build databases as well as query them. It is a long course at nearly 18 hours, so people who only need a quick reporting refresher may find it more than they need. For a first serious run at SQL, it's the one we'd recommend.

Best forComplete beginners who want to query and build real MySQL databases, not just memorize syntax, with exercises and challenges throughout.
Skip it ifYou already write SQL daily and want performance tuning, ER diagrams, or a specific dialect like Oracle or Postgres.

Pros

  • Rebuilt from scratch with over 325 new videos and updated in July 2026, so it matches current MySQL 8.
  • Exercises and challenges start within minutes, and code files are posted after each video.
  • Covers window functions, views, triggers, and a full Instagram-style schema, not just SELECT basics.
  • Rating split of 66,000 five-star to under 2,000 one- and two-star reviews out of 109,000.

Cons

  • Some exercise instructions don't match the posted solutions, according to a recent three-star review.
  • No quizzes or graded coding exercises, so practice relies on following along with the challenges.
  • One reviewer says some sections are old, and there's little on ER diagrams or tuning.
Colt is a really great teacher. The curriculum flow is very well thought out and consistent, so learners to gain skills logically and easily.
Jamie Manning, a student

Genuinely beginner friendly; no database or programming experience is assumed, though prior coders will move faster.

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What you will learn

  • Create your own database or interact with existing databases
  • Write complex SQL join queries across multiple tables
  • Master MySQL 8 Window Functions (LEAD, LAG, RANK, etc.)
  • Model real-world data and generate reports using SQL
  • Answer company performance or sales questions using data
  • Learns the ins and out of MySQL 8.x syntax

Course content

20 sections · 337 lectures · 18 hours of video 140 articles

  1. 1Introduction & 5 Minutes of SQL 4 free previews8 lectures · 18 min
  2. 2Getting Started & Installation8 lectures · 46 min
  3. 3Creating Databases & Tables20 lectures · 49 min
  4. 4Inserting Data20 lectures · 55 min
  5. 5CRUD Basics24 lectures · 37 min
  6. 6CRUD Challenge10 lectures · 24 min
  7. 7String Functions24 lectures · 1.3 hours
  8. 8Refining Selections18 lectures · 55 min
  9. 9Aggregate Functions21 lectures · 1.1 hours
  10. 10Revisiting Data Types24 lectures · 1.8 hours

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Anyone interested in learning SQL to help with their current job or to find a new role. SQL is one of today's most in-demand skills
  • Anyone looking to answer complex business problems and generate reports using data
  • Business owners, people in sales, or people in marketing roles who are interested in understanding company data better.
  • Developers who are looking to build applications (e.g. social network, ecommerce site) using MySQL

What you need before you start

  • No Database, SQL, or MySQL experience needed! Complete beginners to MySQL are welcome.
  • All you need is a working computer for this course; PC, Mac, and Linux users are all welcome.
  • No previous programming language experience required, but it won't hurt :)

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Quality Score

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Overall Score : 94 / 100

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Course Description

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Sql Awards Best Paid Course

This course was completely redone and rebuilt from the ground up, with over 325 brand new videos recorded. The course is compatible with the latest MySQL versions and covers new topics including: Window Functions, Views, and SQL modes.

If you want to learn how to gain insights from data but are too intimidated by databases to know where to start, then this course is for you. This course is a gentle but comprehensive introduction to MySQL, one of the most highly in-demand skills in the business sector today.  

Whether you work in sales or marketing, you run your own company, or you want to build your own apps, mastering MySQL is crucial to answering complex business problems and questions using insights from data. The Ultimate MySQL Bootcamp introduces you to a solid foundation in databases in a way that’s both informative and engaging. Yes, that’s right, it’s possible to make an engaging course on databases.  

In this course, you will:

  • Learn the ins and outs of SQL syntax

  • Generate reports using sales and user data

  • Analyze data using Aggregate Functions

  • Run complex queries using MySQL logical operators and string functions

  • Write all the common SQL joins

  • Work with large datasets containing thousands of entries

  • Design and implement complex database schemas

  • Learn to navigate the treacherous world of storing dates and times

  • Clone the database structure of a photo sharing social network

  • Work with MySQL 8.x Window Functions: RANK, LEAD, LAG, NTILE, etc.

  • Create MySQL database views and virtual tables

This course is also chock full of exercises, challenges, projects, and opportunities for you to practice what you’re learning. Apply what you’re learning to real-world challenges such as finding a website’s power users, calculating your top students, identifying bots on a site, or determining which hashtags generate the most traction on a site. Along the way, you’ll also get to meet my pet cat, Blue! (She’s really cute.)

Why Learn MySQL

Consistently ranked the most in-demand skill in recent employer surveys, SQL is a fantastic way to increase your income and boost your professional development. So many companies today use MySQL, including Twitter, Uber, Airbnb, Dropbox, GitHub, Kickstarter, Udemy, Slack, and many others. Unsure about the difference between SQL and MySQL? MySQL is the most popular open source SQL database out there, so it’s a great choice to begin your learning journey. We’ll talk a lot more about the difference between SQL and MySQL in the course, but 95% of what you learn about MySQL in this course will apply to other databases such as Postgres, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server.

Why This Course Is Different  

This isn’t going to be a course where you watch me code for 20 hours; it’s a course with ample opportunity for you to get your hands dirty writing code (even within the first 7 minutes of the course).

My teaching experience is rooted in the classroom. I’ve spent years teaching programming, web development, and databases to my in-person bootcamp students. This course combines the best of my offline courses with the convenience of learning online, in a setting that’s best for you.   

Upon completing this course, you’ll be able to interact with and query any SQL database out there. You’ll also be able to generate reports with ease, answer company performance questions using data, and integrate MySQL into complete applications.

So let’s do this! Enroll today and start learning SQL!

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Instructor Details

Colt Steele

Hi! I'm Colt. I'm a developer with a serious love for teaching. I've spent the last few years teaching people to program at 2 different immersive bootcamps where I've helped hundreds of people become web developers and change their lives. My graduates work at companies like Google, Salesforce, and Square.

Most recently, I led Galvanize's SF's 6 month immersive program as Lead Instructor and Curriculum Director. After graduating from my class, 94% of my students went on to receive full-time developer roles. I also worked at Udacity as a Senior Course Developer on the web development team where I got to reach thousands of students daily.

I’ve since focused my time on bringing my classroom teaching experience to an online environment. In 2016 I launched my Web Developer Bootcamp course, which has since gone on to become one of the best selling and top rated courses on Udemy. I was also voted Udemy’s Best New Instructor of 2016.

I've spent years figuring out the "formula" to teaching technical skills in a classroom environment, and I'm really excited to finally share my expertise with you. I can confidently say that my online courses are without a doubt the most comprehensive ones on the market.

Join me on this crazy adventure!

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Reviews

4.7

109,622 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Rebekah Defreitas on 9/4/2026

As someone with no prior data analysis or coding experience, I found this course incredibly well paced and easy to follow. It has taken me from a complete beginner to a point where I now feel comfortable manipulating SQL databases to answer questions and explore data. Really pleased with how much I’ve learned. Thank you!

By Magdalena Stachowiak on 8/19/2026

The topics were presented in a very practical and appropriately pitched manner. Thanks to this course, I expanded my knowledge of SQL and learned how to navigate databases efficiently. I believe it is an ideal starting point for further exploration of the subject.

By Rt on 8/12/2026

So far, pace is okay. Test instructions continue to not match "solution" on some items. These need to be 109% the same.

By Yevheniia Zhevaho on 7/24/2026

I originally took this course to refresh my SQL knowledge, and even though I'm only halfway through, I'm really enjoying it. It has helped me reinforce what I knew, learn new concepts, and organize my understanding much better.

By SUMITKUMAR KANOUJIYA on 5/21/2026

The chapters are small, easy to digest and the subsequent exercise makes the understanding solid.Also, it gives the feeling of completing things and thus the engagement is rock-solid.

By Muhammad Rizal on 5/17/2026

The course is very informative and engaging. It also help me a lot with my Database asssigment in Uni. Unfortunately It doesn't cover all the concept I need, like ERD, ACID like Transaction, Commit, Backup, Rollback etc. But It's good enough overall. Thank you for the course!

By Cheng Fu Hang on 5/6/2026

I'm learning a lot and I'm gaining a lot of confidence with SQL. Where it used to be intimidating, it's now pretty intriguing to find solutions to writing the right code. Not only am I finding myself to think about what the answer is, but logically how I can work my way up to the final/ best solution.

By Abhishek on 3/26/2026

I'm having fun learning SQL through this course. Coming from a non-programming background, I was wondering if I'd even be able to grasp the basics but here I am at Section 11 so far with no signs of slowing down. I highly recommend this course for the beginners, doubting their potential to start SQL.

By Mariana Neves on 2/28/2026

Amazing course! Very easy to follow, super clear, and easy to watch the short videos. Everything is clear, from the setup to the exercises. There were many practical exercises and clear explanations. Really glad I took this course on. Highly recommend.

By Aravindhan Kk on 2/19/2026

This course is very easy to follow. MySQL concepts explained clearly, and the examples helped me understand how real databases work. Great course for beginners! The lessons are practical. I learned how to write queries, join tables, and manage data step by step. Highly recommended.

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