SQL for business analysts: Pulling and checking your own data

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 7 details that are specific to your organisation.

Length
45 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
When staff get read access to a reporting database
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Joins without duplicate rows
What would you do?

Joining orders to order lines and summing the order total repeats the total for each line

Try it: this is one of 15 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 45 minutes
  • Accordion, timeline, sorting activity, flashcards and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, poll, ranking, word cloud slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 341.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessment-Whole course
SO 341.1Write SELECT queries with filtering, sorting and basic functionsISO/IEC 9075 SQL (reference only)Whole course
SO 341.2Join tables without duplicating rows and choose the right join typeBest practiceWhole course
SO 341.3Summarise with GROUP BY and read a simple window functionISO/IEC 9075 SQL (reference only)Whole course
SO 341.4Check a result against a known total before sharing itBest practiceWhole course
SO 341.5Handle personal data in queries: select only what is needed + your infoGDPR data minimisation [check before build]; organisation data policyWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 7 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 45 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

A report that disagreed with finance

3 pages

9 min
Before you beginNoteList
The totalsTextImage
What went wrongTimelineQuiz
2

SELECT, filtering and sorting

3 pages

9 min
AnatomyAccordion
Predict the rowsSorting activity
CheckFlashcardsMatching quiz
3

Joins without duplicate rows

3 pages

9 min
Join typesTabs
Spot the duplicateScenarioQuiz
CheckMulti-select quiz
4

Grouping and window functions

2 pages

6 min
Group and summariseTableQuiz
Window functionTextQuiz
5

Checking your result before you share it

2 pages

6 min
ChecklistChecklist
Raise it earlyProcessYour infoKey fact
6

Handling personal data and final assessment

2 pages

6 min
Select only what you needAccordionNoteYour info
PracticeQuizKey factNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "bring a query that gave a wrong answer
PollHow often do you check a query total against another source?
QuizOrders joined to lines and the order total summed. The total is… (Repeated per line, too high ✔ · Correct · Too low · Null)
Content · customiseJoin types and the result checklist {{DATA_CLASSIFICATION_POLICY_LINK}}
RankingOrder a safe query habit: state the question, write, check count, check total, share
QuizWhich clause filters groups after aggregating? (HAVING ✔)
Word cloudThe worst wrong number you have shared
ScaleHow confident are you spotting a duplicate-row join?
Q&AAsk the trainer anything
Content · customiseClosing {{HELP_CONTACT}}, {{COURSE_URL}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. Confidence in SELECT · joins · grouping · windows · result checks grid
  6. How often do you query data yourself? multiple choice
  7. What question do you most want to answer yourself? short text
  8. I can say ‘my total might be wrong’ without feeling judged. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the reporting database guide and data policy? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

7 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Who to ask for help or to report a concern{{HELP_CONTACT}}
  • Link to the data classification policy{{DATA_CLASSIFICATION_POLICY_LINK}}
  • Where completion is recorded{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
  • Link to the post-course and 30-day survey{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Link to the self-paced course{{COURSE_URL}}
  • List of approved tools and versions{{APPROVED_TOOLS}}
Show all 7 fields
  • Link to the baseline survey{{SURVEY_1_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run SQL for business analysts: Pulling and checking your own data training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

When staff get read access to a reporting database, and at analyst onboarding.

Who needs this training?

Analysts and operations, finance and product staff who query their own data; run by data and analytics leads with L&D.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.