Free Online Database Management Courses

1. Data, Databases and Mining

If you find the IT behind databases confusing, then this is a good place to start. You will quickly understand what ‘data’ actually is, how it is ‘warehoused’ and ‘mined’, and how you can use it for business intelligence and analysis.

2. Diploma in Management Information Systems - An Introduction

This course builds on the first one mentioned above by taking your technical IT knowledge up a notch so you can be fully conversant in what it takes to store, manage and secure data.

3. Microsoft Access Masterclass

Say you don’t want to know all the IT nitty gritty behind databases but do want to keep track of data in your small business. Then this course is perfect as you can maximise the easy-to-use data management tools contained in MS Access.

Simply put, database management is the design, implementation, support and storage of data (individual pieces of information) so that an organisation can use it to its fullest advantage. This could mean anything from keeping a list of names and email addresses of people who have subscribed to your online newsletter to complex systems of customer purchases, preferences, returns and private financial records.

A DBMS is a database management system - computer software that makes managing large amounts of information much easier. It also often allows a database manager or analyst to analyse the data for important information like the months that customers spend the most or least, which colours they prefer for a new product or even how their purchases change over time so that other departments like sales, marketing and business development can use this knowledge to their advantage. 

A DBA is a database administrator. They are responsible for co-ordinating all the tasks associated with keeping an accurate, up-to-date and secure set of data, including design, installation, configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, back-up and recovery.

There are a lot of software options when it comes to databases. Some of the most popular are:

• Oracle Database

• Microsoft SQL Server 

• MySQL

• MongoDB

• MS Access

• SAP HANA