Free SQL learning roundup
A popular social post highlighted free resources for foundational data skills, including a SQL tutorial linked from ThoughtSpot (formerly Mode), plus Excel, Power BI and Python materials for marketing analysts. The post was shared as a practical starting kit for building campaign analysis basics. (x.com)
A social post turned a familiar analyst toolkit into a shareable starter pack: free lessons in SQL, Excel, Power BI and Python, anchored by ThoughtSpot’s browser-based SQL tutorial. (x.com) (thoughtspot.com) The SQL piece is built for beginners and runs in the browser, with ThoughtSpot saying no prior coding is required and lessons moving from basic queries to more advanced analysis. ThoughtSpot’s introduction calls SQL the “meat and potatoes” of data analysis because it is used to access, clean and analyze data stored in databases. (thoughtspot.com 1) (thoughtspot.com 2) That tutorial traces back to Mode Analytics, the reporting and analytics company ThoughtSpot agreed to buy for $200 million on June 26, 2023, then said it had fully acquired on July 19, 2023. Some of the older lesson pages still sit on Mode domains, while newer versions are branded under ThoughtSpot. (thoughtspot.com 1) (thoughtspot.com 2) (mode.com) The bundle reflects how entry-level analytics work is often split across four tools. SQL pulls data from databases, Excel cleans and checks smaller files, Power BI turns results into dashboards, and Python handles repeatable analysis when spreadsheets get too cramped. (thoughtspot.com) (learn.microsoft.com) Microsoft’s own Power BI training materials use a sales-and-marketing sample with campaign, market-share and product data, which mirrors the kind of reporting junior marketing analysts are usually asked to build. The sample is available as both a Power BI Desktop file and an Excel workbook. (learn.microsoft.com) ThoughtSpot’s training catalog also keeps free Mode courses and an exercise library online, including lessons on charts, notebooks, self-service reporting and hands-on exercises with sample data. That makes the SQL tutorial part of a broader free training stack rather than a standalone lesson. (thoughtspot.com 1) (thoughtspot.com 2) The appeal of posts like this is speed: a learner can start with a browser SQL lesson, move into spreadsheet work, then practice dashboarding on marketing data without buying software on day one. The resources are less a credential than a workflow map for people trying to learn campaign analysis from scratch. (thoughtspot.com) (learn.microsoft.com) For newcomers, the practical takeaway is narrow and concrete: learn how to query a table, clean a worksheet, chart a funnel and repeat the process. That is the same sequence the viral roundup packaged into one post. (x.com) (thoughtspot.com)
