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NoSQL Databases

Premium
IntermediateCourse

This course introduces you to the fundamentals of NoSQL databases. You will develop hands-on skills for working with MongoDB, Cassandra, and IBM Cloudant databases.

Language

  • English

Topic

  • Database

Skills You Will Learn

  • NoSQL, MongoDB, Apache Cassandra, IBM Cloudant, Cloud Native, Agile

Offered By

  • IBMSkillsNetwork

Estimated Effort

  • 18 Hours

Platform

  • SkillsNetwork

Last Update

  • October 3, 2025
About this Course
This course will provide you with technical hands-on knowledge of NoSQL databases and Database-as-a-Service (DaaS) offerings. With the advent of Big Data and agile development methodologies, NoSQL databases have become increasingly relevant in the database landscape. Their main advantage is the ability to effectively handle scalability and flexibility issues raised by modern applications. 

You will start by learning the history and basics of NoSQL databases, discovering their key characteristics and benefits. You will learn about the four categories of NoSQL databases and how they differ from each other. 

You will explore the architecture and features of several different implementations of NoSQL databases, including MongoDB, Cassandra, and IBM Cloudant. 

Throughout the course, you will gain practical experience using these NoSQL databases to perform standard database management tasks such as creating and replicating databases, loading and querying data, modifying database permissions, indexing and aggregating data, and sharding (or partitioning) data. 

The course concludes with a hands-on project to test your understanding of the basics of working with several NoSQL database offerings. 

What you will learn: 

After completing this course, you will be able to: 
  • Describe NoSQL and the technology it references. 
  • Describe the characteristics of NoSQL databases. 
  • List and describe the major categories of NoSQL datastores (document, key-value, graph, etc.) and their architectural differences. 
  • List the most commonly used NoSQL datastores, their primary use cases and benefits (MongoDB, Cassandra, Cloudant, Couch DB, etc.). 
  • Summarize the factors affecting return on investment for using locally hosted databases, versus hosted database versus DBaaS. 
  • Describe the architecture, features, and key benefits of MongoDB as a NoSQL database. 
  • Demonstrate hands-on working knowledge of MongoDB and perform various common tasks (including CRUD operations, limit and sort records, indexing, aggregation, replication, sharding) 
  • Explain the architecture, features, and key benefits of Cassandra as a NoSQL database. 
  • Demonstrate hands-on working knowledge of Cassandra and perform various common tasks (including using the CQL shell, keyspace operations, table operations, and CRUD operations) 
  • Explain the architecture, features, and key benefits of Cloudant as a NoSQL database. 
  • Demonstrate hands-on working knowledge of Cloudant and perform various common tasks (including creating the database, add documents, query data, utilize the HTTP API). 

Course Syllabus

Module 1 - Introducing NoSQL

  • Module Introduction & Learning Objectives
  • Video: Overview of NoSQL
  • Video: Characteristics of NoSQL Databases
  • Reading: NoSQL Database Types and Use Cases
  • Video: Key-Value NoSQL Databases
  • Video: Document-Based NoSQL Databases
  • Video: Column-Based NoSQL Databases
  • Video: Graph NoSQL Databases
  • Reading: Database Deployment Options
  • Reading: Summary and Highlights
  • Practice Quiz - Basics of NoSQL
  • Video: ACID vs BASE Operations
  • Video: Distributed Databases
  • Video: CAP Theorem
  • Video: Challenges in Migrating from RDBMS to NoSQL Databases
  • Reading: Data Model Example in Relational vs Document
  • Reading: Vector Databases
  • Reading: Summary and Highlights
  • Practice Quiz - Working with Distributed Data
  • Module 1 Graded Quiz

Module 2 - Introducing MongoDB - An Open-Source NoSQL Database

  • Module Introduction & Learning Objectives
  • Video: Overview of MongoDB
  • Video: Advantages of MongoDB
  • Video: Use Cases for MongoDB
  • Hands-On Lab: Getting Started with MongoDB
  • Reading: Summary and Highlights
  • Practice Quiz - MongoDB Basics
  • Video: CRUD Operations
  • Hands-On Lab: MongoDB CRUD
  • Video: Indexes
  • Hands-On Lab: MongoDB Indexing
  • Video: Aggregation Framework
  • Hands-On Lab: MongoDB Aggregation
  • Video: Replication & Sharding
  • Video: Accessing MongoDB from Python
  • Hands-On Lab: Accessing MongoDB from Python
  • Reading: Best Practices of MongoDB
  • Reading: Summary and Highlights
  • Practice Quiz - Working with MongoDB
  • Module 2 Graded Quiz

Module 3 - Introducing Apache Cassandra - An Open-Source NoSQL Database

  • Module Introduction & Learning Objectives
  • Video: Apache Cassandra Overview
  • Reading: Architecture of Cassandra
  • Video: Key Features of Apache Cassandra
  • Video: Apache Cassandra Data Model - Part 1
  • Video: Apache Cassandra Data Model - Part 2
  • Video: Introduction to Cassandra Query Language Shell (cqlsh)
  • Hands-On Lab: Using the CQL Shell (cqlsh)
  • Reading: Summary and Highlights
  • Practice Quiz - Cassandra Basics
  • Video: CQL Data Types
  • Video: Apache Cassandra Keyspace Operations
  • Reading: Cassandra Data Modeling and Querying Best Practices
  • Hands-On Lab: Keyspace Operations
  • Video: Table Operations
  • Hands-On Lab: Table Operations
  • Video: CRUD Operations - Part 1
  • Video: CRUD Operations - Part 2
  • Hands-On Lab: CRUD Operations
  • Reading: Summary and Highlights
  • Practice Quiz - Working with Cassandra
  • Module 3 Graded Quiz

Module 4 - [Optional] Introducing IBM Cloudant - A NoSQL DBaaS

  • Module Introduction & Learning Objectives
  • Video: Overview of Cloudant
  • Video: IBM Cloudant Architecture and Key Technologies
  • Video: Cloudant Benefits and Solutions
  • Video: Deployment Options for Cloudant
  • [Optional] Obtain IBM Cloud Feature Code and Activate Trial Account
  • Hands-On Lab [Optional]: Signup for IBM Cloud account
  • Hands-On Lab: Create an instance of IBM Cloudant
  • Reading: Summary and Highlights
  • Practice Quiz - Cloudant Basics
  • Video: Dashboards in Cloudant
  • Hands-On Lab: Dashboards in Cloudant
  • Video: Working with Databases in Cloudant
  • Hands-On Lab: Working with Databases in Cloudant
  • Video: HTTP API Basics
  • Video: Working with the HTTP API
  • Reading: Query Optimization with Indexes
  • Hands-On Lab: Querying Data using the HTTP API
  • Reading: How to Access Documentation and Support Resources
  • Reading: Offline First with Cloudant
  • [Optional] Project: Cloudant
  • Reading: Summary and Highlights
  • Practice Quiz - Working with Cloudant

Module 5 - Final Project - Working with NoSQL Databases

  • Module Introduction & Learning Objectives
  • Hands-on Lab: Setup & Practice Assignment
  • Reading: Final Project Overview
  • Final Assignment Project
  • Project Submission & Peer Review

Glossary and Final Quiz

  • Course Glossary
  • Final Quiz

Course Wrap-Up

  • Reading: Congrats & Next Steps
  • Reading: Thank You from the Team
 

General Information

  • This course is self-paced. 
  • This platform works best with current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari. 

Recommended Skills Prior to Taking this Course

  • Computer and data literacy.

Instructors

Rav Ahuja

Global Program Director, IBM Skills Network

Rav Ahuja is a Global Program Director at IBM. He leads growth strategy, curriculum creation, and partner programs for the IBM Skills Network. Rav co-founded Cognitive Class, an IBM led initiative to democratize skills for in demand technologies. He is based out of the IBM Canada Lab in Toronto and specializes in instructional solutions for AI, Data, Software Engineering and Cloud. Rav presents at events worldwide and has authored numerous papers, articles, books and courses on subjects in managing and analyzing data. Rav holds B. Eng. from McGill University and MBA from University of Western Ontario.

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Ramesh Sannareddy

Corporate IT Trainer

Ramesh Sannareddy holds a Bachelors Degree in Information Systems (Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani). He has two and a half decades of experience in Information Technology Infrastructure Management, Database Administration, Information Integration and Automation. He worked for companies like Intergraph, Genpact, HCL, and Microsoft. Currently, he is a freelancer and pursues his passion for teaching. He teaches Data Science, Machine Learning, Programming and Databases.

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Stephen Ryan

Instructional Designer - SkillUp Technologies

I am an ex-Microsoft Certified Trainer and Systems Engineer who now spends his time providing learning content for online learning platforms. My background is in TCP/IP networks and client and server network operating systems.

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