Resource Collection
Databases & Data Systems Resources
Curated resources for learning databases, data systems, SQL, database internals, and distributed data infrastructure.
Core Database Systems Courses (Most Important)
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CMU 15-445 Database Systems
Industry-standard course covering storage engines, indexing, query execution, concurrency control, and distributed databases. -
MIT 6.830 Database Systems
Graduate-level database course covering relational models, query processing, transactions, and recovery. -
Stanford CS145 Introduction to Databases
Undergraduate course covering relational algebra, SQL, schema design, indexing, and transactions. -
Database Management Systems – Neso Academy
Comprehensive lecture series explaining ER modeling, normalization, relational algebra, and database theory. -
Databases In-Depth – Complete Course
Long-form introduction to database fundamentals and architecture.
SQL Mastery (Essential)
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SQL for Data Science – UC Davis
Covers joins, subqueries, window functions, and real-world SQL usage. -
Advanced SQL – MySQL for Data Analytics
Advanced SQL including window functions, CTEs, indexing strategies, and query optimization. -
Mode Analytics SQL Tutorial
Interactive SQL tutorial with practical exercises and datasets. -
SQLZoo
Hands-on SQL practice platform with exercises across multiple databases. -
Khan Academy SQL Course
Beginner-friendly SQL with interactive lessons and exercises. -
PostgreSQL Tutorial
Complete PostgreSQL guide covering queries, indexing, and performance.
Database Design & Normalization
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Database Design Fundamentals – Khan Academy
Covers ER diagrams, normalization, relationships, and database structure. -
Database Design Course – freeCodeCamp
Complete guide to relational database schema design. -
Vertabelo Database Design Academy
Courses covering ER modeling, normalization, and physical database design.
Database Internals & Storage Engines
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CMU 15-445 Database Reading List
Collection of research papers on storage engines, indexing, and database architecture. -
Let’s Build a Simple Database
Step-by-step tutorial for building a database storage engine from scratch in C. -
SQLite Architecture Documentation
Technical documentation explaining SQLite’s internal design. -
PostgreSQL Internals
Deep dive into PostgreSQL architecture including MVCC and WAL. -
RocksDB Documentation
LSM-tree based storage engine documentation used in large-scale systems.
NoSQL & Modern Databases
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MongoDB University
Free MongoDB courses covering aggregation pipelines, sharding, and replication. -
Introduction to NoSQL – edX
Overview of key-value, document, column-family, and graph databases. -
Apache Cassandra Documentation
Wide-column distributed database documentation and tutorials. -
Redis University
Courses on Redis data structures, persistence, clustering, and scaling. -
Neo4j Graph Academy
Courses on graph databases and the Cypher query language.
Transactions & Concurrency
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CMU 15-445 Transactions Lectures
Covers ACID properties, isolation levels, locking protocols, and deadlocks. -
MIT Concurrency Control Lectures
In-depth explanation of serializability and transaction isolation.
Distributed Databases & Scaling
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Spanner: Google’s Globally Distributed Database
Research paper describing the architecture of Google’s globally consistent database. -
CockroachDB Documentation
Distributed SQL database architecture and scaling strategies. -
Vitess Documentation
Horizontal MySQL sharding system originally built at YouTube.
Data Warehousing & Analytics Databases
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Stanford CS145 Data Warehousing Lectures
Concepts such as OLAP systems, star schemas, and analytical workloads. -
ClickHouse Documentation
Column-oriented database optimized for analytical queries. -
Apache Druid Tutorials
Real-time analytics database designed for event data.
Query Optimization
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CMU Query Optimization Lectures
Cost-based optimization, join reordering, and execution planning. -
PostgreSQL Query Planning Guide
Understanding query plans using EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN ANALYZE.
Production Patterns & Reliability
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Database Reliability Engineering
Guide to running databases reliably in production environments. -
Use The Index, Luke
Comprehensive guide to SQL indexing and query performance. -
High Scalability
Case studies of real-world database scaling and infrastructure.
Data Modeling
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Vertabelo Data Modeling Guide
Conceptual, logical, and physical database modeling patterns. -
ER Diagram Tutorial – Lucidchart
Introduction to entity-relationship modeling.
References & Handbooks
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SQL Anti-Patterns
Common database design mistakes and how to avoid them. -
Database Design Wikibook
Reference guide covering relational database design and normalization.