Databases — First Steps — Handout
Read this before or alongside the hands-on practice. This is reading material only — the module itself is where you actually design a real table, enter and edit real records, and run real sort and filter queries, ending with a capstone database marked on the table you actually build. 14 levels, 11 of them behind the module purchase.
Three words everything else builds on
| Table | The whole thing — every field and record together |
| Field | One column, running down the whole table (e.g. Name) |
| Record | One row — one complete entry, all its fields together |
Why not just use a spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet lets you type anything into any cell — great for free-form calculation, risky for storing thousands of similar records reliably. A database defines a table’s fields and their types once; every record then follows that shape automatically. That reliability, not raw storage, is the real difference.
The four field types this module uses
| Text | Words — names, titles, descriptions |
| Number | So comparisons like “older than 14” are meaningful |
| Date | Calendar values |
| Yes/No | A simple true-or-false fact |
Sorting vs. filtering — neither touches your data
Sorting reorders how records are displayed by one field. Filtering narrows which records are shown, based on a condition — hidden records are still there, just out of view until the filter is cleared. Deleting is the only one of the three that’s actually permanent.
Combining filters
Two conditions joined with AND mean a record must satisfy both to show — adding a second AND condition can only keep the same results or narrow them further, never widen them.
The 14 levels
Getting Started
- What a Database IsfreeHow it differs from a spreadsheet, and why that matters.
- Records, Fields & TypesfreeThe three words everything else in this module builds on.
- Designing Your First TablefreeChoosing fields and types before entering any data.
Working with Records
- Entering RecordsAdding real records to a table you've already designed.
- Editing RecordsCorrecting and updating a record in place.
- Deleting RecordsPermanent removal — and why that's different from filtering.
- Review: Building a TableFields, records, edits and deletes, from a blank table.
Asking Questions of Your Data
- Sorting RecordsReordering the display without touching the data.
- Filtering: Simple ConditionsNarrowing what's shown by one real condition.
- Filtering: Text Search"Contains" and "starts with" for text fields.
- Combining Filters (AND)Two conditions at once, narrowing results further.
- Mastery Review: QueriesSort and filter, mixed, before the capstone.
Putting It Together
- Comprehensive ExamEvery mechanic in this module, mixed together.
- Capstone: Build a Real DatabaseYour own database, marked on the table you produce.
Where this module stops
This module owns one table at a time: designing fields, entering/editing/ deleting records, and sorting/filtering (including combining two conditions with AND). Real SQL, joining more than one table, and primary/foreign keys are Relational Databases and SQL — a genuinely deeper subject, not something skipped here by accident.
Completing a level’s practical exam earns a Skill Badge — this is skill-building and self-assessment, not a certification or formal qualification.