- SQL Topic Table for Data Analysts & Business
Analysts
By- Ankit R. Ray
Relevance for Relevance for Business
Week SQL Topic
Data Analyst Analyst
Week 1: SQL
Fundamentals
Essential for Needed for
Introduction to
Day 1 querying understanding data
Databases & SQL
datasets. storage.
Fetching
SELECT Statement & Extracting key
Day 2 required
Data Retrieval business insights.
datasets.
Filtering Data (WHERE, Cleaning and Finding key
Day 3
LIKE, IN, BETWEEN) refining data. customer trends.
Sorting & Limiting Data Preparing Analyzing business
Day 4
(ORDER BY, LIMIT) reports. trends.
Basic Aggregate
Creating Analyzing revenue,
Day 5 Functions (SUM, AVG,
summary tables. sales, and KPIs.
COUNT, MAX, MIN)
Performing
Generating business
Day 6 GROUP BY & HAVING data
intelligence reports.
aggregation.
Merging
SQL Joins (INNER, LEFT, Combining financial
Day 7 multiple
RIGHT, FULL OUTER) and customer data.
datasets.
Week 2: Data
Manipulation &
SQL Functions
String Functions
Cleaning and Formatting
(UPPER, LOWER,
Day 8 transforming customer or product
SUBSTRING, REPLACE,
text data. details.
CONCAT)
Relevance for Relevance for Business
Week SQL Topic
Data Analyst Analyst
Date & Time Functions Handling
Tracking sales trends
Day 9 (NOW, CURDATE, time-based
over time.
DATEADD, DATEDIFF) analysis.
Mathematical Data
Financial & sales
Day 10 Functions (ROUND, accuracy in
projections.
CEIL, FLOOR) calculations.
Subqueries (Nested
Filtering data Generating business
Day 11 Queries & Correlated
with subqueries. reports dynamically.
Queries)
Window Functions
Advanced Ranking top-
(ROW_NUMBER, RANK,
Day 12 analysis and performing
DENSE_RANK, LAG,
ranking. customers/products.
LEAD)
Creating
CASE Statement & Segmenting
Day 13 categorical
Conditional Logic customer data.
variables.
Solving real-
Practice Day: Business Answering strategic
Day 14 world SQL
Queries business questions.
problems.
Week 3: Advanced
SQL &
Performance
Optimization
Common Table Simplifying Improving report
Day 15
Expressions (CTE) complex queries. readability.
Working Analyzing
Day 16 Recursive CTEs with hierarchical organizational
data. structures.
Improving Not required
Indexes & Query
Day 17 query (handled by tech
Optimization
performance. teams).
Automating
Stored Procedures & Business analysts
Day 18 repeated
Views rarely need this.
queries.
Mostly database
Maintaining
Day 19 Triggers & Transactions administrators handle
data integrity.
this.
Relevance for Relevance for Business
Week SQL Topic
Data Analyst Analyst
Advanced Joins & Set Working
Merging business
Day 20 Operations (UNION, with multiple
data sources.
INTERSECT, EXCEPT) datasets.
Final Practice: Real- Applying all Solving business
Day 21
World Case Study concepts. problems using SQL.
How Much SQL is Needed?
• Data Analyst: 100% coverage (all topics essential).
• Business Analyst: 80% coverage (focus more on querying, filtering, and aggregation, less on
optimization).
By- Ankit R. Ray