Want To Level-Up Your SQL? Get Building With These SQL Projects

In this article, I share the 15 best SQL projects in 2023 with source code.

Whether you’re looking to land a job as a database admin, enhance your portfolio, or boost your skills, I’ve included 15 SQL projects for beginners.

To help you build your skills, I’ve organized these SQL projects to be more challenging as you make your way through the list. This is great for leveling up and building your portfolio.

With a history spanning more than 25 years, SQL is still the standard language for relational databases, as shown by its number 4 ranking among developers.

And with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting an average salary of more than $100K for database administrators, building SQL projects can be very lucrative for your career.

So, if you’re ready, let’s dive into these SQL projects to help you further your database career.

Is SQL Dying Out?

No! SQL (Structured Query Language) is most certainly not dying out.

In fact, it remains a crucial and widely used language in database management, data analysis, and business intelligence.

Sure, there is a lot of buzz around NoSQL versus SQL, but a huge number of organizations continue to rely on relational databases and, by extension, SQL for the primary querying language.

So, SQL is still very much essential for data warehousing, analytics, data integration, and reporting. This means that the demand is as high as every for skilled SQL professionals, including those with SQL certifications.

And yes, while new technologies and languages continue to emerge in the data field, SQL continues to be a foundational skill and tool for data professionals.

Best SQL Projects For Beginners in 2023 

One of the main benefits of SQL is that it’s easy to learn, meaning that anyone, including beginners with little programming experience, can learn SQL. 

That said, one of the very best ways to learn SQL is to get involved with SQL projects.

I'm a strong advocate for learning by building, as there's no substitute for creating something that could be used in real-world scenarios.

After all, if you're looking to learn SQL, chances are pretty high that you plan to be manipulating data in a meaningful way with a relational database, so why not learn to do this by building relatable projects?

Now, depending on your current skill level, you might be uncertain where to start.

If you are brand new to the world of SQL and databases, you might want to consider an SQL course to pair with your project building.

That said, I've organized these SQL projects so that you can gradually build up in difficulty as you make your way through the list.

So, have your SQL cheat sheet ready, and let's start building some SQL projects!

1. Blood Donation Management System

This beginner SQL project uses a database to store information about medical patients for a blood bank. When designing the database or thinking about the data you want to store or query, consider the patient's name, unique ID, blood type, medical history, and phone number as a starting point.

If these concepts seem a little fuzzy, consider refreshing your memory with an SQL book or online documentation.

It’s also a good idea to create an Entity-Relationship (E-R) diagram and a schema to start implementing these fields within a database before trying to normalize it.

Source code

2. Cooking Recipe Website

In this SQL project, you can design a website with a recorded procedure to list your cooking instructions under various headings. Here are some tips for displaying and storing your information.

• Utilize HTML text editor to write a recipe post or blog
• Highest rated/liked "Recipe of the Day"
• Cooking videos viewed in the last five hours

You can also add a feature that allows individuals to leave feedback and review recipes and another that allows you to modify or remove a recipe in the admin area. Head over to the GitHub repository using the source code link below to get started.

Source code

3. Library Database Management System 

An online library management system is user-friendly for assigning books and viewing the many books and topics accessible under a category.

The C# programming language simplifies creating this kind of management information system (MIS). Additionally, rapid information retrieval is possible with SQL commands.

Consider your college library, where lecturers and students can check books out. Typically, both groups have different deadlines for returning the book, ranging from a few days to a few weeks.

Additionally, although they may be identical copies of the same book written by the same author, each has a separate ID. This means that every book in a library management system contains an entry that details who issued it, how long it was on loan, how much any fines came to, and other helpful information.

Source code

4. Online Retail Database Software

Online retail application databases are some of the most well-known SQL practice projects as the importance of e-commerce continues to grow. 

The application enables customers to sign up and make online purchases. Users also receive a unique client ID and password during the registration process, which gathers the user’s name, contact details, address, bank details, etc.

After making a purchase, a user bill is created based on the item's quantity, price, and applicable discounts. Before the item is sent to the chosen location, the customer must select a payment option to complete the transaction.

Source code

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5. Inventory Management System

Inventory management and control ensure that a company keeps enough materials and goods on hand to satisfy customer demands quickly.

By maintaining inventory at the ideal level, companies can increase profitability by avoiding undesirable understocking and overstocking scenarios. In addition, an inventory management and control system will keep the company informed of how many goods and services are in stock.

The design goals for an inventory control management database include securing the necessary items, improving inventory turnover, maintaining safe stock levels, acquiring raw materials at a lower price, lowering storage requirements, minimizing insurance, etc.

Source code

6. Voice Commands Transport Enquiry System

With this innovative tool, you can travel faster and avoid those long queues we’ve all seen at bus and train stations.

By using tech-powered systems for transport inquiries, transport operators can enjoy significant savings in time and labor. With this project, commuters can ask questions about their various transportation options.

To do this, you can create an automation process that takes voice commands and responds with speech to share information about bus stops, airports, and train stations. 

Source code

7. Carbon-Emission Calculator

Environmental preservation has garnered a great deal of attention in recent years. By creating a web app that calculates a building's carbon footprint, you can actively contribute to furthering the cause.

This carbon calculator combines information on floor space and annual working days with user-selected or custom attributes on building types, water fixture types, climate zones, etc.

You can then link emissions outputs to energy use, water usage, transportation, and solid waste disposal.

A similar tool was conceptualized by American business CTG Energetics Inc., which later converted it from an Excel file to a SQL web application. 

Source code

8. Railway Control System Database

This DBMS requires you to model various rail lines between connecting stations, train stations, train information (each train has a unique ID), rail routes, train schedules, and commuter schedules.

To simplify the project, you can suggest that every train travels to its destination in one day and runs every day. 

For recording purposes, concentrate on monitoring the following information for each station along a rail route.

• When a train pulls into a station on schedule
• When a train departs from a station (out-time)
• The positioning of stations along the route

Source code

9. Student Database Management

This project can be used to help students with record-keeping. The SQL server would include general student data, such as attendance records, mark or score sheets, fee records, contact details, enrollment year, courses, etc.

An automated student database management system can significantly simplify a university's administrative processes.

Source code

10. Hospital Management System

This web-based application or system allows you to control how a hospital is run.

It establishes a uniform record of clients, physicians, and rooms that is only accessible to the administrator. In the database, every doctor and patient will get a unique ID and be connected based on the current treatments.

Separate modules will also be available for hospitalization, patient discharge summaries, nurse responsibilities, medical supplies, etc.

Source code

11. Payroll Management System

Based on how widely this system is used across many business sectors, this SQL project is among the most popular for beginners.

A business salary management system computes employees' monthly pay, tax rates, and social security benefits. It uses employee information (name, pay scale, designation, benefits, etc.) and time sheets, including leave taken, to calculate salaries.

The application outputs bank files and pay stubs based on specific formulas, and the tax office also receives a similar tax file, which is created and stored in the database.

Source code

12. Grocery Store Sales 

Every day, tens of thousands of consumers shop at supermarkets for groceries and household goods.

Depending on region or gender, we can use this data to understand customer preferences for payment methods, peak times for visits, and participation in loyalty programs. And we can use this to adjust grocery store policies to raise sales and customer satisfaction.

This project uses a dataset that contains information gathered over three months from three supermarket stores. We can answer a range of questions by examining this dataset.

• Does the percentage of customers participating in the rewards program affect gross income or the mode of payment?
• Which branch has the best performance in the rewards program?
• Does customer feedback affect membership?
• Are there any indicators that differ for men and women?

Source code

13. Centralized College Database 

This system is similar to the student DBMS system we discussed earlier.

A college has academic departments, including English, Mathematics, History, etc. Each department also provides a range of courses that teachers can oversee using this system. 

Consider the scenario where a professor teaches both statistics and calculus. A student may enroll in either of these classes if they are a mathematics major, but a given course can only have one teacher; otherwise, there would be unusual overlaps. 

Source code

14. Food Service Database SQL Project

Eateries extend their food services beyond their physical locations by offering online delivery options via website pages. 

Additionally, restaurants can accept phone orders and send delivery staff to deliver each order. However, delivery people staff can only deliver orders within a given zip code, and they cannot go outside of this. 

In this project, the main idea is to maintain records for previous customers so they can be offered discounts for future orders. 

Source code

15. Power Bill Database System

This SQL project idea is helpful for private-owned electric companies that require a database to manage their ever-growing datasets.

This project allows you to access the example database's user category and admin sections, which will enable you to experiment with the admin operations of a power company’s billing system.

Source code

What Is SQL? 

SQL is an acronym for Structured Query Language, a standard language used to communicate with databases. SQL commands are used to ask questions (queries) about data in a database, retrieve data from a database, and manipulate data in a database. 

It was initially called Structured English Query Language by IBM but later changed to Structured Query Language. 

SQL is used to write lines of code that query the database to fetch or store data.

When you send an SQL request to a database, the Database Management System (DBMS) processes the request and sends feedback to the user. SQL generally specifies how data is collected, organized, and extracted from/to the database. 

SQL is different from common programming languages because it focuses on what the computer should do rather than how it should do it. 

Features & Uses of SQL

Let’s take a look at the key features and applications of SQL in modern-day databases:

Main Features of SQL:

1. Data Querying: Use SQL queries to retrieve specific data from a database using SELECT statements, allowing for data filtering and sorting.
2. Data Modification: Operations like INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE are used to add, modify, or remove data, ensuring database integrity.
3. Data Definition: Commands like CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE, and DROP TABLE  define and maintain table structures, including columns, data types, constraints, and indexes.
4. Data Integrity: Enforces data integrity through constraints like primary keys, foreign keys, unique constraints, and check constraints.
5. Transaction Control: Commands like COMMIT, ROLLBACK, and SAVEPOINT manage transactions and ensure data integrity with ACID properties.
6. Security: Administrators can grant or revoke permissions, ensuring only authorized users access and modify data.
7. Aggregation and Analysis: Aggregate functions (SUM, AVG, COUNT, etc.) facilitate data calculations and summarization for analysis and reporting.
8. Joins: Combine data from multiple tables, enabling complex data retrieval and analysis.
9. Subqueries: Use subqueries for advanced data retrieval and manipulation.
10. Views: Create virtual tables (views) to simplify complex queries and offer data access abstraction.

Typical Use Cases For SQL:

1. Database Management: SQL is essential for managing relational databases, including data creation, updates, and queries.
2. Reporting: SQL is crucial for generating reports and deriving insights from data and large datasets.
3. Web Development: SQL is integral to web applications, enabling data storage and retrieval for backend development.
4. Business Intelligence (BI): SQL is fundamental for building data warehouses, OLAP cubes, and dashboards used in BI for business data analysis.
5. Data Mining: SQL complements data mining and machine learning for extracting patterns from extensive datasets.
6. Data Migration: SQL is valuable for migrating data between databases, aiding system transitions and data consolidation.
7. E-commerce: SQL manages product catalogs, inventory, and customer data in e-commerce platforms.
8. Healthcare and Finance: SQL securely handles patient records, financial transactions, and sensitive data in healthcare and finance systems.
9. Mobile Apps: SQL databases enable data storage in mobile apps, supporting offline data interaction.
10. Data Warehousing: SQL is used to design and manage data warehouses for historical data used in analysis and reporting.

Wrapping Up

So there you have it, the 15 best SQL projects in 2023 for beginners. 

To help you build your skills, each of the SQL projects I’ve covered was designed to be more challenging as you make your way through the list. 

The idea here is to help you level up your SQL skills naturally while also enhancing your portfolio with these SQL projects.

So whether you’re starting in database admin or keen to enhance your portfolio, each of the SQL projects I’ve shared is ideal for doing just that!

Whichever SQL project you choose to build, I hope you have fun, and I wish you the best of luck with your database career!

This article has covered 15 different SQL projects for beginners that you can use to learn about databases while improving your SQL skills.

Looking for ways to take your SQL skills into a data science career? Check out:

Coursera's SQL for Data Science from UC Davis

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Do I Create an SQL Project?

Projects with SQL are a collection of databases and tables that store data. You can create an SQL project in several steps, depending on your software. 

1. Go to File > New > Project
2. Select SQL Project from the list of templates (or select File > New > Database)
3. Enter a database name and click Save
4. Ensure you have the correct version of the SQL software you're working with

2. How Do I Put My SQL Project on My Resume?

Firstly, you can list the entire project. But you must make it easy for an employer to read by putting the most important parts at the top of each section. So, for example, if you implemented an online database with a form-filling module and reporting system, just focus on these two components.

Secondly, you can break your project into smaller sections like "User Interface Design", "Database Design", etc. This makes it easier for an employer to understand the time that went into each component of the project without having to read everything.

3. How Do I Practice an SQL Project?

SQL is a complex language; it can feel overwhelming to learn it all at once. It's better to start with SQL database projects for a DBMS like SQLite or look for MySQL projects for beginners. You can then practice by working on your own small project ideas, finding existing databases that need work, or trying out the simple SQL projects we’ve listed above.