We don’t think about databases much, right? At least not when they’re working right. But they’re all around us. They’re in every product we use. And when they don’t work (think about the iCloud, LinkedIn, or Ashley Madison data breaches in which hundreds of millions of emails andpasswords were exposed) the consequences can be extreme.

Every modern company stores their data in a database (it’s like a really big version of Excel), and if you want to analyze the data, you may be expected to know how to access it yourself. In fact, at many companies are requiring even their business leaders to have an understanding of databases. At the very least, knowing how to set up and interact with databases will improve your ability to GSD (get stuff done), strengthen your understanding of how technology works, and make you less of a pain for developers to work with.

In this class, we’ll explore basic SQL (the most common database language) for business analytics. At the end of the course, students should have a deeper understanding of how databases work, how they fit into the general technology stack, how to connect to databases, and how to browse and export data from databases.

Required Course Material

● This course does not use a textbook
● Any required readings will be provided via Canvas
● Students must have a laptop that they can bring to class – Mac or PC is fine, as long as your operating system is up to date (at least Windows 7 and Mac OS 10.8)
● Slides and files will be uploaded to Canvas after class

Required Prerequisites

This course assumes no previous knowledge of programming or code.

Course Objectives

In this course we aim to develop both conceptual understanding of databases and procedural skill in interacting with them with a focus on real-world use-cases. Each session will explore several new concepts and active exercises for practicing them. Note that the order of these topics and assignments may change.

Video Introduction

http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/qxwmf

Mattan Griffel

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Business

Mattan Griffel is a recipient of the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence. Mattan is a two-time Y Combinator-backed entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of Ophelia, a company that helps people quit opioids without having to go to rehab.

 

Mattan teaches entrepreneurship, leadership, and technology. He has advised and worked with companies...

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