Learn, build and prepare
Build a SQL foundation before moving to orchestration and cloud pipelines. Use a local database for early practice, and add hosted services only when the project needs them.
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See the learning orderFollow the roadmap, choose relevant learning resources, build a project, then test your understanding with interview practice.
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The sequence, role fit and project exercises are editorial recommendations. Provider requirements and certificate conditions are shown separately.
These resources offer free learning access. Some are guided tutorials rather than full courses. A free course does not necessarily include a certificate, hosted compute, private-repository features or a professional exam.
1. Microsoft · Course
A beginner-friendly path through query concepts that recur in data engineering interviews. The syntax is Transact-SQL, so expect some differences in other databases.
Write a join and an aggregate query, then show how nulls or duplicate rows change the result.
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2. PostgreSQL · Tutorial
Useful for practising relational ideas locally and learning how database behavior affects a pipeline.
Create related tables, load sample data and use a transaction to demonstrate a safe update.
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3. DataTalks.Club · Course
Provides a larger pipeline project that connects ingestion, transformation and operational concerns. Take it after the SQL foundations rather than treating it as a first coding course.
Build a small ingestion pipeline with a schema check and repeatable backfill. Record how you clean up any cloud resources.
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Pick one resource, complete a small exercise and explain the result aloud before adding another course.
