With digitization, an increasing number of businesses are embracing the latest database management technologies. This field has witnessed a manifold growth in the demand for certified professionals. Structure Query Language, abbreviated as SQL, happens to be one of the most common programming languages used by such professionals. An SQL certificate would prove invaluable if you plan on building a happening career. Candidates may eye the position of a data scientist, database administrator, software engineer, business analyst, or play other related job roles. A large percentage of the employers in the IT sector include SQL skills among the eligibility criteria while hiring. Getting trained and certified in using SQL would undoubtedly provide your IT career with a significant boost.

What are the best SQL certifications?

Different vendors offer SQL certifications that you may try to obtain. However, these certifications are usually applicable to specific platforms and vendors. Thus, before you opt for an SQL certification course, you would need to be sure about the platform you wish to build your expertise in. Hence, it is necessary to check out and understand the differences between the courses and decide which one would best suit you. Some of the most coveted certifications in SQL are:

Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate Certification

This certification testifies the holders’ skills in working with Oracle Database servers. Completing the course for this certification would help to train you in the following:

  • Basic concepts of SQL
  • Modelling data
  • Incorporating tables
  • Vital skill in using SQL

To clear the exam and obtain the certificate, you should be able to retrieve, restrict and sort data, use conditional expressions, conversion functions, and control access. A deep understanding of the primary database concepts is necessary too.

Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals

One of the most coveted certifications among IT professionals in this field, Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals, is an entry-level certification. Given that Microsoft Azure is the second most popular provider of cloud solutions, a certification in this platform would undoubtedly be valuable. This certification validates one’s:

  • Core data concepts
  • Understanding of analytics workload
  • Skills in working with relational and non-relational data
  • Knowledge regarding how databases work with MySQL and PostgreSQL

IT professionals who plan to build a career as an expert in Azure would find this certification essential.

EDB PostgreSQL 12 Associate Certification

Known for its scalability, PostgreSQL finds application in various large enterprises. Developing skills in this relational database would increase the employability of an IT professional. The essential EDB PostgreSQL 12 Associate Certification examination tests an individual’s skills in managing and maintaining a PostgreSQL server. Other related applications are covered, too, along with the fundamentals necessary for working with PostgreSQL servers.

Oracle Certified Professional, MySQL 5.7 Database Administrator Certification

Developed by Oracle, MySQL is yet another popular database solution. The MySQL 5.7 Database Administrator Certification would indeed prove helpful to individuals seeking to include MySQL in their skillset. To obtain the certification, one must possess all the knowledge essential to work with MySQL. The skills that you would need to clear the exam are:

  • Installing, starting, and stopping MySQL
  • Monitoring and configuring the database management system
  • User management
  • MySQL Architecture
  • Security aspects

Due to the popularity of MySQL in the IT sector, this SQL certification holds significant value.

IBM Certified Database Associate

Individuals have to pass a single exam to obtain the IBM Certified Database Associate certifications. IBM offers three of these certifications, and these require the aspirants to be skillful in database security, transaction isolation, database creation, etc. The certificate validates the following skillset:

  • Connecting to DB2 servers
  • Working with SQL and XML
  • Writing SQL statements
  • Relevant knowledge of tables

You must possess a clear understanding of the data planning and application design concepts to obtain this certification.

How to obtain an SQL certification?

Of course, you would need to undergo adequate training before you are capable of cracking these exams. Pursuing an SQL course online is an excellent way to go about it, especially with leading institutions like Koenig offering online training facilities. Once you have enrolled yourself in a reputed institution with a good track record, focus on practicing diligently. Flashcards and exam dumps are helpful too. Studying in a consistent and goal-oriented manner would complement your efforts in obtaining the certification quickly.