Best SQL Video Tutorials for 2021

Ready for this year’s picks for the best YouTube SQL video tutorials? Here are our top 5 choices!

It's been well over a year since I last wrote about SQL tutorials on YouTube. Those seven channels can help you learn the basics of SQL quite painlessly, but now it's time to add to that list with 2021’s top contenders. Which YouTube SQL tutorials are worth your time and attention? I’ve got my favorites, but first, let’s consider an important question:

Video Tutorial or Online Course?

Choose your answer carefully, because a wrong decision at this stage can make learning SQL needlessly difficult. It might even cause you to stop using SQL altogether. And that means giving up a chance for a promotion or a better job. I do not recommend getting discouraged, so your first step should be determining the right learning method for you.

YouTube can be a powerful source of knowledge – if you look in the right place. There is a virtually endless amount of SQL information on YouTube. The only question is the quality of the knowledge you’re offered. So look for proven sources of information, like our picks and other reputable channels.

Why choose SQL tutorials on YouTube?

• They’re available on any device.
• Courses are usually free.
• It’s so easy!

Why skip YouTube tutorials?

• There’s little opportunity for hands-on practice.
• Not all courses are up-to-date or taught by professionals.
• Not all topics are covered.

Online SQL courses are a completely different story. There’s usually a well-defined, logical learning path that teaches you everything you need to know for a certain level (e.g. SQL fundamentals, creating database structure, writing advanced queries, etc.). Online courses usually progress from easy to increasingly difficult SQL topics.

For me, online courses are an obvious choice to learn SQL. I sincerely recommend our SQL Basics course for beginners or our SQL A to Z track for people who want to learn everything SQL has to offer. Our courses combine knowledge with hands-on practice; you can write SQL queries in the interactive console and get instant feedback. All you need is the Internet and your favorite browser.

Why choose an online SQL course?

• It’s interactive – you can practice what you learn.
• There’s a logical learning path.
• All the needed topics are covered.

Why skip an online SQL course?

• Most good online SQL courses are paid – although there are exceptions, like our SQL Courses of the Month, which we offer for free.

You can find out more about the differences between video tutorials and interactive SQL courses in this article.

Best SQL Video Tutorials for 2021

Ok, now we can get down to business. Let me just say that I did not choose the most popular SQL tutorials here. Most of the ones I described in the previous article are still there and still worthwhile. In this article, I decided to update my list to include a few old favorites as well as some noteworthy (but slightly less popular) SQL channels on YouTube.

1. We Learn SQL

We Learn SQL has come a long way over the past year. It started out with a few subscriptions and some videos on simple topics. Now, 17+ videos teach you what SQL is, what subqueries are, how to use SQL JOINs, what data engineering is, and more. Subscribe to our channel and stay up to date with this great content!

2. Derek Banas

Derek Banas, whose YouTube channel already has over 100 million subscribers, does tutorials on various technical topics. He covers everything from learning SQL, JavaScript, and Python to making computer games and even cooking low-carb dishes.

As a rule, I am not a fan of channels devoted to various topics. Usually, the clips are very simple and don't cover the topic well, as the creators only seem to care about quantity. In this case, however, Derek does a good job of explaining SQL.

The tutorial I recommend here is for MySQL. It shows how to install the database engine and then start writing your first SQL queries in a quite accessible way. As usual with video tutorials, the hands-on practice is missing – you’ll have to do that on your own. I recommend that you try our SQL Practice Set to see how much you've learned and whether you can start working with databases yourself.

3. FreeCodeCamp.org

I wrote about FreeCodeCamp in the previous article. It's a great source of knowledge that’s delivered by enthusiasts who are real experts in their fields. In addition, access to their work is free.

This recommendation is for a nice PostgreSQL tutorial. It’s over 4 hours long and covers the basics of PostgreSQL (my favorite SQL dialect). For some reason, the author decided to use SQL Shell instead of pgAdmin, which I find clearer and easier to use.Still, the SQL functions are described reliably and clearly. It is worth 4 hours of your time.

If you want to learn PostgreSQL, I recommend our SQL from A to Z in PostgreSQL track; it covers everything you need to efficiently work with Postgres databases. If you need more persuasion, check out which companies use PostgreSQL. That should clear up your doubts as to the value of this dialect.

4. Geek's Lesson

Geek's Lesson is a channel devoted to the broad topic of computer science. It’s authors hail from all over the world and post lectures on mathematics, deep learning, data science, machine learning, and more. Each subject is discussed by an expert, so you can be sure of the quality of the knowledge provided.

The SQL tutorial takes the form of a classic lecture. The speaker talks about SQL, its history, and its uses. The talk goes efficiently and quickly. Don't count on going deeply into the applicability of all SQL JOINs or CTE writing tips. However, you will learn enough to start working with databases.

The author compares different DBMSs, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite. I’d say it's worth taking an hour to figure out which one you should choose. Do you want to know which solution professional developers choose? I wrote an article called The Most Popular Databases in 2020, in which I look at the statistics that answer this question. Check it out.

5. Alex The Analyst

Alex The Analyst is a great channel that’s about more than just SQL tutorials. You will find a lot of info about the work of a data analyst, common job interview questions, the realities of the industry, etc. You can see that the author knows what he is talking about and deals with data analysis daily. If you watch his SQL Tutorial, I recommend you also watch the live Data Analyst Q&A afterwards. There are also queries that handle more advanced SQL techniques, such as CTEs and subqueries.

What SQL YouTube Channels Would You Recommend?

There you have it – my list of SQL YouTube channels to follow in 2021. Do you have your own favorite SQL videos on YouTube that I didn't cover? Share them in the comment section and maybe I’ll include them in another article.

So, you’ve watched your SQL tutorial and you want to take the next steps. What do you do? See this article on ways to practice SQL online. It’ll help you make the transition from video knowledge to hands-on SQL experience. Let's make 2021 the year of SQL!