Data Modeling and Lakehouse Architecture with SQL

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Data Modeling and Lakehouse Architecture with SQL

This course is part of Level Up: Advanced SQL for Data Engineering Specialization

Instructor: Professionals from the Industry

Included with

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13 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Advanced level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

13 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Advanced level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Design star and snowflake schemas with dimensional modeling principles, creating fact and dimension tables optimized for analytics.
Implement cost-effective data warehouse architectures with partitioning, clustering, and multi-cluster workload isolation strategies.
Build lakehouse data pipelines that integrate file-based storage with structured querying using external tables and modern formats.
Create semantic metrics layers and slowly changing dimension logic to ensure data consistency across enterprise analytics systems.

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This course is part of the Level Up: Advanced SQL for Data Engineering Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 13 modules in this course

You will design and implement enterprise-grade data models, from traditional star schemas to modern lakehouse architectures. This comprehensive course equips you with the skills to build cost-effective, scalable data solutions that drive business intelligence and analytics.

You'll gain hands-on experience creating dimensional models with surrogate keys, optimizing database schemas through partitioning and clustering, and implementing slowly changing dimensions for historical data tracking. The course covers advanced topics like semantic metrics layers, multi-cluster warehouse architectures, and open-source table formats for data lakes. What makes this course unique is its end-to-end approach to modern data architecture. You'll work with real-world scenarios, from analyzing storage costs to designing data ingestion pipelines that span from raw files to analytics-ready tables. By completion, you'll confidently architect data solutions that balance performance, cost, and scalability—skills essential for senior data engineering and architecture roles in today's data-driven organizations.

You will examine existing snowflake schemas to pinpoint performance bottlenecks caused by redundant lookup paths and develop systematic approaches for identifying optimization opportunities.

What's included

3 videos2 readings1 assignment

3 videos Total 17 minutes

Why Snowflake Schema Analysis Drives Performance Success 4 minutes
Snowflake Schema Fundamentals for Performance Analysis 6 minutes
Step-by-Step Redundant Lookup Identification Process 6 minutes

2 readings Total 26 minutes

Schema Analysis Principles for Data Warehouse Optimization 8 minutes
Design Star-Schema Fact and Dimension Tables with Surrogate Keys 18 minutes

1 assignment Total 2 minutes

Snowflake Schema Redundancy Analysis Knowledge Check 2 minutes

You will construct optimized star-schema dimensional models with proper fact and dimension table structures, implementing surrogate keys and design patterns that maximize query performance for analytical workloads.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

You will develop standardized semantic metrics layers that ensure consistent business logic across analytics platforms, eliminate metric drift, and provide a unified source of truth for enterprise reporting.

What's included

3 videos1 reading2 assignments

3 videos Total 18 minutes

Why Semantic Layers Transform Enterprise Analytics 4 minutes
Metrics Standardization Concepts and Implementation Patterns 9 minutes
Implementing Metrics Definitions with Standardized Business Logic 5 minutes

1 reading Total 8 minutes

Semantic Layer Architecture for Enterprise Analytics 8 minutes

2 assignments Total 15 minutes

Comprehensive Semantic Layer Design and Implementation 12 minutes
Semantic Layer Concepts and Implementation Validation 3 minutes

You will implement advanced partitioning and clustering techniques using SQL DDL commands to optimize query performance for large-scale datasets.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

2 videos Total 8 minutes

Why Database Performance Hits a Wall at Scale 2 minutes
Partitioning and Clustering Fundamentals for Performance Optimization 6 minutes

1 reading Total 12 minutes

DDL Syntax and Implementation Patterns for Partitioning and Clustering 12 minutes

2 assignments Total 21 minutes

Design and Implement a Partitioned Data Warehouse Table 18 minutes
Partitioning and Clustering Strategy Assessment 3 minutes

You will evaluate database normalization levels against query performance requirements to make strategic denormalization decisions for optimizing analytical workloads.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

2 videos Total 12 minutes

Denormalization Strategies for Analytical Workloads 6 minutes
Analyzing Query Performance Impact of Normalization Levels 6 minutes

1 reading Total 12 minutes

Normalization Forms and Performance Impact Analysis 12 minutes

2 assignments Total 23 minutes

Develop a Schema Refactoring Proposal with Performance Justification 20 minutes
Normalization vs Performance Trade-off Analysis 3 minutes

You will design and document comprehensive Entity-Relationship diagrams that effectively communicate complex data structures and relationships for enterprise data systems.

What's included

3 videos1 reading2 assignments1 ungraded lab

3 videos Total 18 minutes

When Data Models Become Mission-Critical Communication Tools 3 minutes
Professional ER Diagram Design and Documentation Standards 6 minutes
Building Comprehensive ER Diagrams with Professional Tools 9 minutes

1 reading Total 12 minutes

ER Diagram Components and Advanced Modeling Techniques 12 minutes

2 assignments Total 18 minutes

Comprehensive ER Diagram Design and Documentation Assessment 15 minutes
ER Diagram Design Knowledge Check 3 minutes

1 ungraded lab Total 18 minutes

Enterprise Data Modeling: Creating Comprehensive ER Diagrams for Complex Data Structures 18 minutes

You will build automated SCD Type 2 pipelines using MERGE statements and window functions to preserve historical data integrity in enterprise environments.

What's included

2 videos2 assignments

You will conduct comprehensive cost analysis of data lifecycle patterns to develop strategic archiving recommendations that balance storage economics with business value.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

2 videos Total 18 minutes

Cost Trend Analysis Techniques for Data Archiving 8 minutes
Calculating Storage Costs and ROI for Archiving Strategies 9 minutes

1 reading Total 10 minutes

Data Lifecycle Cost Analysis and Storage Economics 10 minutes

2 assignments Total 21 minutes

Develop Comprehensive Data Archiving Strategy with Cost-Benefit Analysis 18 minutes
Cost Analysis and Archiving Strategy Knowledge Check 3 minutes

You will design scalable multi-cluster data warehouse architectures that isolate workloads for optimal performance while implementing comprehensive cost control and resource management policies.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

2 videos Total 9 minutes

The Business Case for Multi-Cluster Architecture 3 minutes
Designing Workload Isolation and Resource Management Policies 6 minutes

1 reading Total 10 minutes

Multi-Cluster Architecture Design Principles and Implementation Patterns 10 minutes

2 assignments Total 18 minutes

Multi-Cluster Architecture Mastery Assessment 15 minutes
Multi-Cluster Architecture Knowledge Check 3 minutes

You will learn the technical implementation of external table configurations to enable direct querying of file-based datasets in cloud storage.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

2 videos Total 9 minutes

Why External Tables Transform Enterprise Analytics 2 minutes
SQL Syntax and Configuration Parameters for External Tables 7 minutes

1 reading Total 10 minutes

External Table Architecture and Implementation Patterns 10 minutes

2 assignments Total 21 minutes

Configure Multi-Format External Tables for Enterprise Data Lake 18 minutes
External Table Configuration Knowledge Check 3 minutes

You will develop analytical frameworks to evaluate and compare the technical capabilities of Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg, and Apache Hudi for specific business requirements.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

2 videos Total 13 minutes

Feature Comparison Matrix: Schema Evolution and Time Travel 5 minutes
Building Technical Capability Comparison Matrices 8 minutes

1 reading Total 10 minutes

Comprehensive Analysis of Delta Lake, Iceberg, and Hudi Capabilities 10 minutes

2 assignments Total 23 minutes

Develop Strategic Table Format Recommendation Framework 20 minutes
Table Format Analysis and Selection Knowledge Check 3 minutes

You will architect and implement automated data ingestion pipelines that orchestrate data movement across medallion architecture zones within lakehouse platforms.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

2 videos Total 10 minutes

The Cost of Manual Data Pipeline Management 3 minutes
COPY INTO Commands and Incremental Loading Strategies 7 minutes

1 reading Total 10 minutes

Medallion Architecture and Pipeline Orchestration Patterns 10 minutes

2 assignments Total 18 minutes

Lakehouse Data Pipeline Implementation Assessment 15 minutes
Data Ingestion Pipeline Implementation Knowledge Check 3 minutes

You will design and implement a comprehensive data lakehouse architecture that integrates dimensional modeling, schema optimization, cost management, and multi-format data ingestion. This project synthesizes advanced SQL skills to create a production-ready data engineering solution.

What's included

4 readings1 assignment

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Instructor

Professionals from the Industry

307 Courses 44,329 learners

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