About Database Administrator
A database administrator (DBA) keeps an organisation's data available, fast, and
safe, and this course follows the order most DBAs learn the job. It starts with
Database Fundamentals (relational theory, ACID, and normalization),
then SQL & Query Writing and
Installation & Configuration so you can run a real database
server and talk to it fluently.
Next comes Indexing & Query Tuning: reading execution plans and
fixing slow queries. Transactions & Concurrency covers isolation
levels, locking, and deadlocks, while Backup & Recovery covers
backup strategies, point-in-time restores, and recovery targets.
Security & Access Control covers roles, privileges, encryption,
and auditing, and High Availability & Replication covers
replication, failover, clustering, and sharding.
Finally, Monitoring & Automation covers metrics, logs, and
scheduled maintenance scripts, and Cloud & NoSQL Databases
covers managed services like Amazon RDS and Azure SQL along with MongoDB and Redis:
the skills that keep a database running smoothly in production.
Content
10 modules
01
Database Fundamentals
Relational theory, ACID, normalization, and ER modelling: the concepts every DBA builds on.
Relational ModelACIDNormalization
02
SQL & Query Writing
Joins, subqueries, CTEs, and window functions, written the way a DBA reads and reviews them.
JoinsCTEsWindow Functions
03
Installation & Configuration
Installing and configuring PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, or Oracle, and tuning the settings that matter.
PostgreSQLMySQLSQL Server
04
Indexing & Query Tuning
Reading execution plans, choosing the right indexes, and fixing slow queries.
EXPLAINB-Tree IndexesStatistics
05
Transactions & Concurrency
Isolation levels, locking, MVCC, and how to diagnose blocking and deadlocks.
Isolation LevelsLockingDeadlocks
06
Backup & Recovery
Designing backup strategies, restoring to a point in time, and testing recovery against RPO and RTO targets.
pg_dumpPoint-in-Time RecoveryRPO / RTO
07
Security & Access Control
Roles and privileges, encryption, auditing, and defending against SQL injection.
Roles & PrivilegesEncryptionAuditing
08
High Availability & Replication
Replication, failover, clustering, and sharding for databases that stay online.
ReplicationFailoverSharding
09
Monitoring & Automation
Tracking database health with metrics and logs, and automating routine maintenance with scripts and scheduled jobs.
PrometheusBash / PythonCron Jobs
10
Cloud & NoSQL Databases
Managed services like Amazon RDS and Azure SQL, plus MongoDB and Redis, and how to migrate between them.
Amazon RDSMongoDBRedis
What You Can Do After This Course
By the end of the curriculum you'll have worked through 5 hands-on projects and
covered the core of what a junior to mid-level database administrator role expects. Concretely,
you'll be able to:
Explain how relational databases work: ACID properties, normalization, keys, and how a database engine stores and retrieves data.
Write and review SQL: build queries with joins, CTEs, and window functions, and spot the ones that will hurt performance.
Install and configure database servers: set up PostgreSQL or MySQL, manage users and storage, and tune the key settings.
Tune slow queries: read execution plans, add the right indexes, and keep statistics healthy.
Protect and recover data: design backup strategies, restore to a point in time, and test against RPO and RTO targets.
Secure the database: apply least-privilege roles, encrypt data, audit access, and guard against SQL injection.
Keep it online and observable: set up replication and failover, monitor with metrics and logs, and automate routine maintenance.