Is SQL Associate Certification on Datacamp worth it? Review

Is Datacamp good place to learn SQL and their SQL Associate Certification really worth it?

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9 min readJul 27, 2024

Is SQL Associate Certification on Datacamp worth it? Review

Hello guys, there is no doubt that SQL is one of the most essential skills for every IT professionals. It doesn’t matter whether you are a frontend developer or a backend developer, a Data Scientist or Data Analyst, a Quality Analyst or a Business Analyst, a good knowledge of SQL is needed to do your job properly.

When it comes to learning SQL there are many places you can learn SQL for free, like Datacamp whose Introduction of SQL is a nice entry level course to learn SQL.

But not many people know that Datacamp also have a proper SQL certification called SQL Associate Certification, which is both industry recognized certification and a highly sought after credential by many programmer and data scientist.

Unlike Udemy and Coursera certifications which you can get by completing their course and project, Datacamp certifications are different.

They are more closely related to AWS, Azure and Oracle certifications which require you to pass a timed exam to earn a certification, and that’s why they are also more valuable then normal course completion certification.

In this article, we will learn what is SQL Associate certification on Datacamp, why should you become a SQL certified engineer and whether Datacamp’s SQL Certification really worth it or not.

By the way, if you want to learn SQL, Python and other Data skills then Datacamp is definitely a good place to start with.

Their byte sized, interactive course, filled with meaningful exercise and mini projects makes learning really exciting and I highly recommend Datacamp to any beginner who want to learn Data skills, you can read my full review here.

Is Datacamp Really Worth it? Review

Is Datacamp really a good place to learn Data and AI skills like Python, Data Science, SQL, Tableau etc

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What is Datacamp’s SQL Associate Certification?

DataCamp’s SQL Associate Certification, is a popular certification offered by DataCamp to validate an individual’s SQL skills. You need to pass a timed exam to become a Datacamp certified SQL Associate.

Here’s an overview of the certification:

Purpose: It’s designed to certify that an individual has the fundamental SQL skills needed for entry-level data roles.
Skill level: The certification is aimed at the associate (beginner to intermediate) level. If you don’t know SQL they provide courses to teach you SQL but if you already know SQL, you can direclty attempt the exam
Topics covered:

Basic SQL queries
Filtering and sorting data
Aggregations
Joining tables
Subqueries
Common Table Expressions (CTEs)
Window functions

4. Exam format:

The exam is taken online, you need to complete the exam within 30 days after registration. You need to pass two exams SQ101 which is 2 hours long theory exam, and Practical Exam (SQ501P).
It’s typically timed (though I don’t have the exact duration). SQ101 is a 60-minute exam that most candidates typically complete in 45 minutes. This exam will contain Data Management, SQL, and theory content as well as the exploratory analysis SQL content.
It includes both multiple-choice questions and hands-on coding tasks
Practical exam is slightly harder as you really need to show your data skills to answer questions. SQ501P assesses your skills on data extraction, joining, aggregation, interpret a database schema, and run subqueries etc. They use PostgreSQL, so its also good if you know Postgres.

5. Recognition: While not as widely recognized as some vendor-specific certifications (like Oracle or Microsoft), it can be valuable for demonstrating SQL proficiency, especially for those new to the field.

6. Prerequisites: There are no strict prerequisites, but familiarity with basic SQL concepts is recommended.

Once you pass the timed exam (SQ101) | 2 hours and Practical Exam (SQ501P) you will receive a certificate like shown below:

How to Prepare for Daacamp’s SQ Associate Certification?

DataCamp offers courses and practice exams to help candidates prepare for the certification. Here are the courses you can join to prepare for this certification on Datacamp:

1. Introduction to SQL (course)

This is a beginner level ourse to learn how to create and query relational databases using SQL in just two hours. It got 7 videos and 24 exercises which will allow you to learn SQL basics very quickly. More than 735,808 people have already joined this course.

2. Intermediate SQL (course)

This is the second course you can take on Datacamp to prepare or SQL certification. It will teach you intermediate SQL skills like grouping, window function, sub-queries and more.

Accompanied at every step with hands-on practice queries, this course teaches you everything you need to know to analyze data using your own SQL code today!

This is a 4 Hours with and 14 videos 50 exercises and more than 231,493 learners have joined this course.

3. Analyzing Students’ Mental Health (Project)

This one is a project which you can join to use your data manipulation skills to perform exploratory data analysis on a dataset around student mental health. This will help you to prepare for practical exam.

4. Joining Data in SQL

This is the 4th course on the SQL certification track and you can join this course to level up your SQL knowledge and learn to join tables together, apply relational set theory, and work with subqueries.

5. Data Manipulation in SQL

This is the 5th course and you can join this one to master the complex SQL queries necessary to answer a wide variety of data science questions and prepare robust data sets for analysis in PostgreSQL.

6. PostgreSQL Summary Stats and Window Functions

This is the 6th course for Datacamp SQL certification and you can join this course to learn how to create queries for analytics and data engineering with window functions, the SQL secret weapon!

7. Functions for Manipulating Data in PostgreSQL

In this course you will learn the most important PostgreSQL functions for manipulating, processing, and transforming data.

8. Database Design

This course will teach you how to design databases in SQL to process, store, and organize data in a more efficient way.

You can use these courses to prepare for Datacamp’s popular SQL Associate Certification, promising to equip individuals with the ability to extract valuable insights from databases and tackle common data challenges. They cover most of the topics asked in this certification.

Why you need to Learn SQL?

If you ask me SQL proficiency is not merely a desirable trait; it’s a necessity in today’s data-driven world. Whether you’re a data analyst, a business intelligence professional, or a software developer, the ability to query databases efficiently and manipulate data effectively is indispensable.

SQL empowers individuals to interact with databases, extract meaningful information, and derive actionable insights, thereby driving informed decision-making processes within organizations.

To give you an example, last week was a busy week for me. At the middle of the night I received call that our batch jobs are failing and I have to urgently login.

It wasn’t a full blown issue like the last Friday’s Microsoft an CrowdStrike global outage which affected 9 million devices but it was big enough to keep me at my seat for 8 hours straight, dealing with data and lots of data.

The root cause was that market data was missing for many of the instruments and no body know how many instruments doesn’t have market data.

Support was like fixing one instrument at a time and then re-running jobs again to find out that its failing again, complaining another instrument is missing market data.

When you are dealing with lots of data then at these crunch time, only thing which you can save you is your SQL and Excel skills. As you compare many data points to come up with a list of instruments which is missing data is not easy as it seems in a complex system.

This is just an example, SQL gives you immense power to find insights, interact with data, check data, compare data, and also transform data for your need and its one of the must have skill in today’s data driven world.

The SQL Associate Certification will not just give you a industry recognized certification but also ensure that you will have enough SQL knowledge to survive in the real world.

Why DataCamp’s SQL Certification is worth pursuing?

DataCamp’s SQL Certification is a valuable investment for anyone looking to boost their career in data-related fields. As I said, In today’s data-driven job market, SQL skills are in high demand across various industries.

This certification provides concrete evidence of your SQL proficiency, giving you a competitive edge in job applications and potentially opening doors to higher-paying positions.

According to recent job market analyses, SQL consistently ranks among the top in-demand technical skills, with certified professionals often commanding higher salaries.

Moreover, this certification can significantly accelerate your career growth. It covers a comprehensive range of SQL topics, from basic queries to advanced concepts like window functions, ensuring you have a well-rounded skill set that’s immediately applicable in real-world scenarios.

This breadth of knowledge not only makes you more versatile in your current role but also positions you for faster career advancement. Many companies value certified professionals for their validated expertise, often fast-tracking them for leadership roles in data-related projects.

Lastly, obtaining the SQL Certification can lead to increased productivity and efficiency in your work. The certification process reinforces best practices and optimal approaches to database querying and management.

This knowledge allows you to write more efficient SQL code, optimizing database performance and saving valuable time and resources for your organization.

As data volumes continue to grow exponentially, the ability to efficiently manipulate and analyze data becomes increasingly crucial, making certified SQL professionals invaluable assets to any data-driven team.

All these things make going for SQL Certification really worth it.

Here is the link to register for this certification — SQL Certification

By the way, you need a Datacamp plan to access this course. They have different plans like standard, professionals, and premium which allows access to all projects.

I generally recommend the standard plan because it is right-priced and you get access to all the essentials to grow your data skills like 350+ courses, 14 career tracks, 50+ skill tracks, unlimited practice challenges, and live code along. It cost around $25/month on an annual plan and it’s totally worth it.

At the moment, they are also running a big 50% discount so you can get the annual membership for just $149, its a great time to join Datacamp and get all of their SQL and Data Engineering certification. Click here to get your discount.

Conclusion

In conclusion, DataCamp’s SQL Associate Certification emerges as more than just a validation of one’s SQL proficiency — it’s a gateway to new career opportunities, professional growth, and industry recognition.

In short, Datacamp’s SQL Associate Certification 100% worth it for its industry recognition and ensuring that you have right SQL skill to survive in real world. Passing this certification will not just ensure that you know SQL but also give you confidence to do well on interview.