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SQL & RDS Foundations for Data Engineers

SQL and RDS Fundamentals for Modern Data Engineers

Course Summary

Course Description

This course is a foundational, context-first program designed for aspiring and early-career data engineers who want to work confidently with SQL and relational databases in AWS environments—without getting lost in DBA-level depth or generic SQL theory.

In real companies, data engineers don’t design OLTP systems from scratch.
They connect to existing RDS databases, extract data safely, write correct and efficient SQL, and move data downstream into S3, Glue, and data warehouses.

This course prepares you for exactly that reality.

What This Course Covers

1 SQL Skill Booster on a Real AWS Database

You’ll practice SQL on a real Aurora PostgreSQL database running in AWS—not an offline toy dataset.

You’ll learn how data engineers actually use SQL:

  • Writing SELECT queries the right way (no SELECT * habits)

  • Filtering with WHERE, AND/OR, ORDER BY, LIMIT

  • Aggregations with COUNT, SUM, AVG, GROUP BY, HAVING

  • INNER JOIN vs LEFT JOIN (and why it matters)

  • Multi-table joins using realistic retail data

  • Understanding primary keys, foreign keys, and data integrity

  • Thinking in query-building steps, just like on the job

This is a skill booster, not a full SQL certification course—designed to get you productive fast.

2 AWS RDS & Aurora (Without DBA Overload)

You’ll set up and work with Aurora Serverless v2 (PostgreSQL) and understand:

  • What RDS really is (and what “managed service” actually means)

  • Traditional RDS vs Aurora vs Aurora Serverless

  • Cost awareness and why teardown matters

  • Endpoints, credentials, and database lifecycle

  • Why data engineers usually don’t manage infrastructure—but must understand it

You’ll learn just enough AWS database knowledge to work confidently in real teams.

3 Real-World Data Engineering Context (The Differentiator)

This is where the course stands apart.

You’ll understand:

  • OLTP vs Data Warehouse vs Data Lake—and why they’re separate

  • How RDS fits into modern AWS data architectures

  • Typical pipelines: RDS → Glue → S3 / Redshift

  • DEV / QA / PROD environments and why they exist

  • Multi-account AWS setups in real enterprises

  • Cross-team collaboration with DBAs, Infra, and DevOps

  • What data engineers own vs what they coordinate

You’ll be able to talk like a data engineer, not just run queries.

Who This Course Is For

This course is ideal if you are:

  • Transitioning into cloud data engineering

  • Comfortable with basics but lack real-world context

  • Strong in tools but unsure how things fit together

  • Preparing for interviews and on-the-job confidence

  • A student or working professional aiming for long-term relevance

Who This Course Is NOT For

  •  Not for DBAs or database administrators

  •  Not a deep SQL optimization or indexing course

  •  Not a data warehousing or Redshift course (those come later in RADE)

How This Fits in RADE™ Silver Membership 

This course is a foundation layer.

It prepares you for:

  • AWS Glue deep dives

  • S3 data lakes

  • Redshift & dimensional modeling

  • Spark and streaming systems

  • Production-grade data pipelines

Think of this course as:

“How data engineers really start working with databases in the cloud.”

Course Curriculum

Sachin Chandrashekhar

Course Pricing

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