sql for product analytics

Learn how to use
SQL for product development and marketing

problem we solve §
perfect fit for the course §
study plan §
authors §
alumni reviews §
pricing and details §
Q&A §

Reduce your dependence on data analysts and solve most typical SQL tasks

This is more than a course. It is a SQL simulator for solving a wide range of product-related tasks. You will get hands-on skills working with a marketplace database. You will gather, examine, clean up data, and calculate key metrics to use this information to tackle key product and marketing issues.

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What problem
does the "SQL Simulator for Product Analytics" solve?

The Problem

In product and marketing work we regularly face questions that require real data. Without the SQL skills, the only solution is to address analysts and wait for a long time for them to come back with the needed data.

Solution

As you go through the SQL Simulator for Product Analytics, you will learn the SQL syntax as well as obtain knowledge on how to solve typical product and marketing tasks. This will help you make important decisions way quicker and more effectively.

Who will benefit
from the simulator and how?

For product managers, marketers, UX-Research specialists

The simulator is designed for professionals who want to learn how to solve basic data-related tasks that require SQL skills. The practical tasks are highly relevant for product managers, project managers, marketers, and UX research specialists.

For data analysts who don't want just be an interface to get data

It is a great tool for data analysts overwhelmed with requests from their colleagues concerning simple tasks. With the help of this simulator, you can get your colleagues master SQL skills and have time for more exciting requests.

What you will learn

You will be able to:

Make a basic dashboard with your product's key metrics (DAU/WAU/MAU, number of new users, sales, revenue).
Gather users' action data (e.g., shopping cart abandonment) for further research.
Calculate Retention and LTV, and segment these metrics according to key user characteristics.
Calculate unit economics and ROI for paid user acquisition channels, identify profitable and unprofitable campaigns and channels.
Investigate the spikes or anomalies you spot on the dashboard.
Combine multiple datasets for a deeper analysis (e.g., data about users and their purchases).
Make sense of a complex SQL query written by an analyst, and adapt it to another task you want to solve.
Evaluate the impact of product changes on user behavior and key metrics once a new version of a product is out.

400+

tasks

hours of training

83%

of alumni apply gained skills

Training Program and Plot

You will help a team working on a marketplace product to answer important product and marketing questions which affect business performance.

Section 1: SELECT basics and simple database queries

01. Introduction to SQL and SELECT basics

Learn how databases are structured and write your first query.

02. Table structure and data storage logic

Study different ways to store data in tables, and learn how to work with them.

03. AND, OR, IN and NOT operators

Study users of interest, filter data from tables using AND, OR, IN, and NOT.

04. Filtering query results based on dates

Calculate the number of purchases made by target users over a period of time.

05. DISTINCT, LIMIT, ORDER BY

Continue studying your product’s users. Find out whether they mostly buy the same or different products, what is their most expensive purchase, and how often they buy.

Section 2: Calculating top-level metrics with aggregate functions and GROUP BY

06. Aggregate functions SUM(), AVG(), MIN(), MAX()

Use the SUM(), AVG(), MIN(), and MAX() functions to answer the previous questions more efficiently and to write more efficient queries.

07. Data cleaning

Learn to check the quality of the data and, if necessary, clean it before drawing conclusions.

08. GROUP BY basics

Learn to use one of the most popular SQL features to group table rows according to specific attributes. Process each group individually with aggregate functions.

09. Practice: calculating GMV dynamics day by day

Calculate the marketplace GMV dynamics day by day to approximate the growth trajectory of the product.

10. GROUP BY with multiple columns: Calculating DAU by day and country

You notice a slowdown in the growth of the product's active audience, then use GROUP By to verify whether the issue is specific to one country.

Section 3: Calculating marketplace retention and unit economics with subqueries

11. Date functions, data types

Learn to convert and compare dates with SQL. Use date functions to calculate the number of active users within a cohort, and the dynamics of user activity month by month after registration.

12. Subqueries

Learn to write queries that operate on the results of other queries. Learn to use subqueries to solve complicated tasks with SQL.

13. IF() Function, CASE/WHEN conditional operator

Learn to use flow control operators on query results to implement a desired logic. Use these operators to calculate Retention.

14. Calculating Retention

Calculate the Retention curve of our marketplace, one of the important depictions of the product’s value.

15. Practice: calculating unit economics with subqueries

Find out which promotion channels are and aren’t good for your product.

Section 4: Calculating key product metrics by combining multiple tables with JOIN

16. The basics of JOIN

Learn to use JOIN and its variants to query multiple tables that contain the information you need.

17. Practice: Calculating unit economics with JOIN

Use JOIN to calculate the unit economics of your paid acquisition channels. With the new calculation method, you will be able to easily segment the results based on several parameters.

18. Using JOIN on multiple tables and subqueries

Learn to combine multiple tables. Combine three tables to get a list of sellers with the most sales in the marketplace.

19. Practice: Calculating LTV with LEFT JOIN

Learn to use LEFT JOIN to show what the LTV curve looks like, find out where it stops growing, and determine the differences between various country segments and user engagement channels.

Section 5: Solving complex problems with window functions

20. Window functions: Basic operating principles

Analyze the way window functions work and learn the situations and tasks they are useful for.

21. Window functions: syntax, window frames

Study the syntax of window functions and learn how to set window frames when calculating functions.

22. Practice: Calculating active audience with a sliding window

Use window functions to calculate the marketplace's active audience within a 7- and 28-day sliding window.

23. Practice: calculating GMV growth, top products, LTV

Continue applying window functions to answer various product and marketing questions.

Final assignment: Evaluating the effect of a new product version on key metrics

24. Final task: assessing the impact of new functionality on the product

Apply all your SQL skills to answer an important question: How has the launch of new product categories affected the marketplace’s product metrics.

Students' reviews

Finn Hefferon
Head of Product, Stake

The live simulator approach was the perfect learning medium for picking up a new skill, and the format of short but impactful chapters makes it really fun & easy to progress quickly.

Naveen Kumar Sundaramoorthy
Senior Product Analyst, Open Weaver

Instead of drowning in millions of resources on the internet, we can get the 80% of the required knowledge in DB for analysis via GP's SQL simulator!

Robert Frew
Head of Growth, Apollo Internet

Amazing content as always. Thank you GoPractice. You guys are the market leaders in your space.

Ivan Krešimir
Product Manager, Happening

I really liked the simulator as it helped me to understand better how the data is queried, and now I can work better in a fast-paced environment with my data analytics colleagues.

Vaidyanathan Narayanan
Associate Product Manager, Edvoy, Founder, Stealth

Wonderfully created course just like how the data-driven product management course was. I am able to rely on the chapters whenever there is a need for SQL in my day-to-day role as an Associate Product Manager, the content quality and active community are something that sets great standards.

Ruben Lozano
Growth Marketing Specialist, Freelance

The truth is that I have learned a lot with the GoPractice simulator. SQL is a skill I’ve been wanting to learn for a long time. The simulator has helped me understand the basics that I can work with startups and the data team. Now I am able to understand and explore the SQL query in Metabase or Mode, replicate and analyze data quickly and apply the knowledge in the growth model to grow a startup.

Luka Maričić
Product Manager, Happening (Superbet)

I wanted to learn SQL for some time now. Since most of the questions for Data Analysts in my team were similar, I figured out that I could learn the basics of SQL, query it myself, and leave more complex questions to them.

Since I have already finished the Data-Driven Product Simulator, I was sure that the SQL simulator would be on the same quality level. And it was. It started slow, letting the beginners like me catch up with basic concepts. But it is getting more and more complex and challenging. During the whole course, you are working on a simulation of the real product, and answering product questions that you would need to answer in real life. I would recommend this simulator to all Product Managers that want to step up their game.

Jorge Ubero
Geospatial Applications Development Coordinator, La Compañía S.L.

The Product SQL Simulator is a great way to learn the basics of SQL applied to product challenges. I find really dynamic, even thriving in the way it flows with a simple, concise UX which at the same time turns out very effective in focusing and moving forward inside the use case. The platform has a very usable sandbox to write the queries during the course’s exercises and also has a huge, real-world database that simulates a digital product database pretty well. PMs fear not scripting anymore with GoPractice!

Authors
of the SQL Simulator

Eugene Zhulkov

Developed sophisticated banking products for Oracle and IBM Db2 databases at OpenWay
Designed and implemented large-scale distributed systems at leading mobile game company ZeptoLab
Managed the development of the e-commerce subdivision at 2reallife

Oleg Yakubenkov

Developed Workplace from Facebook as
a Data Scientist
Built analytical functions for MSQRD (acquired by Facebook), API.AI (acquired by Google), and ZeptoLab

Osman Ramazanov

Launched his first website open to SQL injection in 2016
Product manager with a broad experience in SQL application in gaming, mobile apps, email testing, and mailing list systems

How the course
is structured

This is not a regular course, but a simulation of working in a company. You will be part of a young e-commerce marketplace team. As you go through the chapters, you will have to answer important questions about the product and its marketing.

You'll work with real data.

In normal courses, you're given theory, which is difficult to put into practice. In the SQL Simulator, you'll write your own SQL queries to answer questions about the product and marketing.

Safe environment and instant feedback

The simulator gives you the opportunity to learn and make mistakes in a safe environment. The simulator format provides instant feedback to accelerate learning.

Quickly learn a new skill

The simulator is designed in a way that helps you to put your knowledge to work after the first few chapters. It will take 3-4 weeks of active training to get through the entire course. After that, you will have a confident grasp of SQL.

F.A.Q.

When can I start learning?

Immediately after the purchase. You study online, at your own pace.

How long does the training last?

If you study for an hour a day, it takes about four weeks, maybe more, depending on your skills.

Who checks the assignments?

Most exercises are multiple-choice questions or query assignments and are checked automatically. Depending on your answers, you get relevant feedback and theory.

Do I have enough knowledge?

The SQL Simulator for Product Analytics course is designed for students with varying levels of SQL proficiency. The initial chapters are devoted to the basics. Topics gradually become more complex as you progress.

Can I ask questions?

Yes. You'll be able to ask questions in a closed group and get help from other students, as well as the GoPractice team.

How is it better than other SQL courses?

There are many people who know SQL but can’t apply these skills to solve real product and marketing problems. This is exactly what we'll teach you.

Still have questions?

Email us at contacts@gopractice.io and we will respond as soon as possible.

sql for product analytics

Reduce your dependence on data analysts and solve most typical SQL tasks

What problemdoes the "SQL Simulator for Product Analytics" solve?

Who will benefitfrom the simulator and how?