Course Overview
Become a confident, job-ready SQL Server Database Administrator
This comprehensive, hands-on course guides you through every critical aspect of SQL Server management — from installation and configuration to networking and connectivity setup. You’ll master applying updates and patches to keep systems secure, learn backup and restore strategies to protect your data, and explore disaster recovery planning to ensure business continuity.
We’ll dive deep into performance tuning to make databases faster and more efficient, while also covering best practices in security, monitoring, and troubleshooting. With real-world scenarios, step-by-step labs, and expert guidance, you’ll gain the practical experience employers look for.
By the end of this course, you won’t just understand SQL Server — you’ll be able to manage, secure, and optimize it like a pro, opening doors to high-demand DBA roles and career growth
Curriculum
We begin by exploring what data is and how it drives modern businesses. You’ll learn what a Database Administrator does in real-world environments, how data is stored and managed, and why compliance and security matter. We’ll also provide a brief roadmap of the entire course so you know exactly what to expect and how each topic fits into your DBA career path.
In this chapter, we dive into the history and evolution of SQL Server, its architecture, and core components. You’ll learn the advantages and limitations of the platform, understand different data models, and explore the relational engine and how it processes queries. We’ll also cover SQL Server versions and editions, highlighting what’s new in the latest releases compared to older versions. This foundation will prepare you for deeper administration, optimization, and upgrade planning topics in later chapters
In this chapter, you’ll learn how to download SQL Server and understand the system requirements for installation. We’ll walk through pre-instance tasks, basic installation steps, and advanced instance configurations, including silent mode installation. You’ll explore SQL Server features and perform essential post-installation tasks. Most importantly, we’ll cover how to identify and fix common issues you may encounter during the installation process, ensuring a smooth setup every time
In this chapter, we will explore SQL Server’s network components and understand how different network protocols work, including TCP/IP, Named Pipes, and Shared Memory. You’ll learn how applications connect to the database through ports, how to configure and use aliases, and how to manage SQL Server Browser service. We’ll cover enabling/disabling protocols, configuring static and dynamic ports, and securing network communications. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to troubleshoot common connectivity issues and optimize SQL Server’s network settings for performance and security
In this chapter, we will learn database development from the ground up, starting with basic concepts and moving into advanced techniques. You’ll gain hands-on experience creating databases, defining tables, and setting up relationships between them. We’ll cover constraints, indexes, and data types, as well as writing and optimizing SQL queries. Advanced topics include stored procedures, functions, triggers, and views. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to design efficient, scalable, and secure database structures that meet real-world business requirements
In this chapter, we will cover the essential skills to manage databases in SQL Server. You’ll learn how to create databases, configure database files and filegroups, and manage database space for efficiency. We’ll work with database states such as online and offline, set and change database collation, and configure database options for performance and security. We’ll also cover how to rename and delete databases while following best practices to avoid data loss. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to maintain database health and ensure optimal configuration for business needs
In this chapter, we will master one of the most critical responsibilities of a Database Administrator — protecting and recovering data. You’ll learn different backup types including full, differential, and transaction log backups, as well as file and filegroup backups. We’ll cover backup planning, scheduling, and storage best practices to ensure data safety. On the restore side, you’ll practice restoring databases to the same or different servers, performing point-in-time recovery, and validating backup integrity. By the end of this chapter, you’ll have the skills to design reliable backup strategies and execute fast, accurate restores in real-world scenarios.
In this chapter, we will focus on controlling who can access your SQL Server environment and what they can do. You’ll learn how to create and manage logins, users, and roles, as well as grant, revoke, and deny permissions at both the server and database levels. We’ll cover authentication modes, password policies, and enforcing least-privilege principles. You’ll also explore schema-based security, auditing, and encryption options to protect sensitive data. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to design and implement a secure SQL Server environment that meets compliance and business requirements
In this chapter, we will learn how to keep SQL Server environments up to date, stable, and compatible with business needs. You’ll understand how to apply service packs, cumulative updates, and security patches with minimal downtime. We’ll cover in-place upgrades and side-by-side upgrades, highlighting when to choose each approach. The migration section will guide you through moving databases between servers, attaching and detaching databases, restoring to new environments, and handling collation or version differences. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be equipped to plan, execute, and validate patching, upgrades, and migrations with confidence.
In this chapter, we will explore log shipping as a high-availability and disaster recovery solution in SQL Server. You’ll learn how log shipping works, its components, and when to use it. We’ll walk through configuring primary and secondary servers, setting backup, copy, and restore jobs, and monitoring log shipping health. You’ll also practice failover and role reversal procedures, as well as troubleshooting common issues. By the end of this chapter, you’ll have the skills to implement and maintain log shipping to ensure database availability and data protection.
In this chapter, we will learn how to configure and manage database mirroring to enhance availability and data protection. You’ll understand the operating modes — high-safety with automatic failover, high-safety without automatic failover, and high-performance — and when to use each. We’ll cover setting up principal, mirror, and witness servers, monitoring mirroring status, and performing failover operations. You’ll also learn best practices, limitations, and how to troubleshoot common mirroring issues. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be confident in deploying database mirroring as part of a robust HA/DR strategy
In this chapter, we will explore SQL Server replication as a method for copying and distributing data across different servers and locations. You’ll learn the different replication types — snapshot, transactional, and merge — and when each is best suited. We’ll walk through configuring publishers, distributors, and subscribers, setting up replication agents, and monitoring replication health. You’ll also cover conflict resolution, performance considerations, and troubleshooting common replication issues. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to design and maintain a replication strategy that supports reporting, scalability, and data distribution needs."
In this chapter, we will focus on optimizing SQL Server for speed, efficiency, and reliability. You’ll learn how to identify performance bottlenecks using tools like SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) reports, Activity Monitor, Dynamic Management Views (DMVs), and Query Store. We’ll cover index strategies, query optimization, statistics management, and execution plan analysis. You’ll also explore server-level tuning options, memory and CPU configuration, and best practices for tempdb performance. By the end of this chapter, you’ll have the skills to proactively tune databases and maintain peak performance in production environments
In this chapter, we will learn how to deploy and manage SQL Server Failover Cluster Instances to achieve high availability at the instance level. You’ll understand FCI architecture, hardware and software requirements, and how it differs from database-level HA solutions. We’ll walk through installing SQL Server on a Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC), configuring shared storage, and managing cluster resources. You’ll also practice failover testing, patching in a clustered environment, and troubleshooting common FCI issues. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to plan, implement, and maintain a robust Failover Cluster Instance for mission-critical workloads
In this chapter, we will dive into Always On Availability Groups (AGs) as an advanced high-availability and disaster recovery solution in SQL Server. You’ll learn AG architecture, prerequisites, and how it compares to other HA/DR options. We’ll walk through configuring a Windows Server Failover Cluster, creating availability groups, and adding databases and replicas. You’ll explore synchronous vs. asynchronous commit modes, automatic vs. manual failover, and read-only routing. We’ll also cover monitoring, backup strategies in AG environments, and troubleshooting failover issues. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be ready to design, implement, and manage Always On AGs in enterprise environments.
In this chapter, we will focus on keeping SQL Server environments healthy, secure, and running smoothly. You’ll learn how to set up regular maintenance tasks such as index optimization, statistics updates, and database integrity checks. We’ll cover monitoring techniques using SQL Server tools, performance counters, and alerts to proactively detect and resolve issues. You’ll also gain hands-on experience with PowerShell automation to manage backups, security, patching, and reporting at scale. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to implement a proactive maintenance strategy, monitor systems effectively, and use automation to save time and reduce human error
Duration
This is a 14-week intensive training program, followed by 1 week dedicated to interview preparation. You’ll also participate in 10+ mock interviews based on real-world scenarios to build confidence and readiness for your DBA career.