Six courses · Core → Architect
From solid SQL foundations to production-grade data system design — taught through hands-on exercises on real datasets, by a PostgreSQL Major Contributor.
They are built from the same material by the same author. The difference is what you do with it.
For example: the book has a full chapter on window
functions — what they are, how the frame works, when to use them. The
Master Window Functions course takes that same ground onto
Formula One race data, then hands you 26 exercises on the Chinook music
store, until OVER (PARTITION BY … ORDER BY …) feels as
natural as a GROUP BY.
Master Window Functions, Reliable Aggregation, Data Modeling for Performance, Advanced JOIN Techniques, Read Query Plans, and Query Optimization Fundamentals — each course is 8 modules across Core, Advanced, and Architect tiers.
Browse the full 48-module curriculum →OVER, PARTITION BY, frame clauses, sessionization. The SQL feature most developers underuse.
02GROUP BY semantics, GROUPING SETS, FILTER, ordered-set aggregates, and correctness traps.
03Normal forms, primary keys, index design, schema evolution, and JSONB for semi-structured data.
04Join semantics, fan-out amplification, LATERAL, WITH RECURSIVE, and complex query composition.
05EXPLAIN anatomy, plan node types, row estimate mismatches, and a complete diagnostic workflow.
06Finding what to optimize, indexing strategy, query rewriting, and a systematic fix-and-verify workflow.
Every course runs Core → Advanced → Architect. Your tier decides how deep each of the six goes — Core covers the foundations of all six, Architect opens every module in all six.
Compare the three tiers →Every module follows the same shape: read the technique on a real dataset, solve it yourself against a live database, then check that it stuck. Below is real material from Master Window Functions.
-- A driver's "form": average points
-- across the last five races.
select r.name as race,
r.date,
res.points,
round(
avg(res.points) over(
order by r.date
rows between 4 preceding
and current row
)::numeric, 2
) as form_5_races
from f1db.results res
join f1db.races r using(raceid)
where res.driverid = 1
and r.year between 2016 and 2017
order by r.date;Runs live in the app — no install, real data.
Average track duration, excluding the current row.
For every track in the Rock And Roll genre, show the track's
name and milliseconds alongside the
average across every track in the genre — and the average
across every other track, using
EXCLUDE CURRENT ROW.
The “everyone but me” pattern: how does this row compare to its peers, without a self-join.
What does SUM() OVER () with no ORDER BY compute for every row?
ORDER BY is requiredTwenty-seven lessons in this format are free to read right now — no account, no card — covering all six course topics.
Read 27 Free LessonsYour tier decides how deep each course runs. The dashboard tracks every module you have read, every exercise you have solved, and every quiz you have passed — so you always know what is left.
Progress shown is an example. The totals are real: 48 modules, 139 exercises and 332 quiz questions across the six courses.
The courses are written, exercised and quizzed in full today. Video is an addition to that material, not the thing you are waiting for.
From solid foundations to system design. Choose the level that matches your goals — Core, Advanced, or Architect. Each tier builds on the previous one, adding deeper capabilities and modules.
The same six topics taught live, as the Masterclass Curriculum, are €1,495. These are the self-paced route through the same material.
Every tier is a yearly subscription that includes all six courses and the book. While it's active you get every module added that year, at no extra cost. Cancel any time; if it lapses you can resubscribe later at the then-current price.
paid yearly
Learn PostgreSQL the right way
Build a solid foundation in PostgreSQL by learning how to think in SQL, not just write it. This tier focuses on clarity, correctness, and essential patterns that make your queries easier to read, maintain, and extend.
You'll learn how to structure queries properly, use advanced SQL features with confidence, and avoid common pitfalls. This is the level where SQL stops being a tool and becomes a language you can rely on.
| All 6 courses: Window Functions, Aggregation, Schema Design, Advanced JOINs, Read Query Plans, Query Optimization | |
| 6 modules per course 36 modules total | |
| Hands-on labs and quizzes for every module | |
| The Art of PostgreSQL book included |
No-questions-asked refund
paid yearly
Understand performance and execution
Go beyond writing correct SQL and learn how PostgreSQL actually executes your queries. This tier focuses on performance: reading query plans, understanding the optimizer, and identifying bottlenecks.
You'll develop a systematic approach to making queries faster and more predictable. Instead of guessing, you'll understand why a query is slow and how to fix it using proven techniques.
| Everything in Core, plus: | |
| +1 advanced module per course 42 modules total | |
| Performance-focused depth: query plans, optimizer behavior, advanced indexing, join strategies | |
| Hands-on labs and quizzes for every module | |
| The Art of PostgreSQL book included |
No-questions-asked refund
paid yearly
Design systems that scale
At this level, PostgreSQL becomes part of your system design, not just a database. You'll learn how to model data, structure queries, and make architectural decisions that impact performance and scalability.
This tier focuses on trade-offs: when to denormalize, how to design for real workloads, and how to balance complexity, performance, and maintainability. It's about making decisions you can justify in production.
| Everything in Advanced, plus: | |
| +1 architect module per course 48 modules total | |
| System design depth: partitioning, large-scale schemas, performance budgeting, systemic diagnostics | |
| Hands-on labs and quizzes for every module | |
| The Art of PostgreSQL book included |
No-questions-asked refund
Not ready to buy? Read 27 lessons free — no account, no card — or create a free account for sample chapters and course modules inside the app.
The course includes The Art of PostgreSQL in full. You get the complete reference, always available as you go through the material.
✓ 590 pages of deep PostgreSQL knowledge ✓ Real-world examples and exercises ✓ Included with your subscription
Free tutorials stop at syntax. Instructor-led training is sold by the day, to teams, on someone else's schedule. This is the middle: the depth of the second, at the pace of the first.
Formula One results, the Chinook music store, 115K geographic place names, real hashtag arrays. Queries that behave like production queries.
Every module pairs the technique with exercises you solve against a live PostgreSQL 17 database in the browser, then a short quiz. Nothing to install.
Dimitri Fontaine contributed Extensions and Event Triggers to PostgreSQL itself, and has been a developer, database architect, and DBA on call for two decades.
All 590 pages of The Art of PostgreSQL come with every tier, in the same app — so the explanation is one click from the exercise.
They're complementary. The book is the reference; the course is the structured path that takes you from reading to applying. If you found the book useful, the course is the natural next step.
Developers and database administrators who want to master PostgreSQL. Whether you're building new applications or optimizing existing systems, this course gives you the practical skills that matter.
Most courses teach SQL syntax. This course teaches you to think in SQL, understand how PostgreSQL executes your queries, and write code that's both simpler and faster. It's the system I wish I'd had when I started.
The full curriculum, hands-on labs, quizzes, and slide decks for all 6 courses are available today — that is 48 modules of written material and exercises you can work through right now. Video lessons are in production and land in your subscription as they ship. The Art of PostgreSQL book is included at every tier.
The course is a yearly subscription. As long as your subscription is active, you get full access to all current content plus everything added during your subscription year — new modules, updated content in existing modules, and entirely new courses (typically once or twice a year).
If your subscription lapses, you lose access to the course platform. You can resubscribe at any time at the then-current price.
Six courses — Master Window Functions, Reliable Aggregation, Data Modeling for Performance, Advanced JOIN Techniques, Read Query Plans, and Query Optimization Fundamentals — each with 8 modules across Core, Advanced, and Architect tiers. Browse the full 48-module curriculum →
Six courses. 48 modules. Real datasets, live queries, and the book — under one subscription.
No account needed to read the free lessons. A free account also opens sample chapters and course modules inside the app.
Not convinced yet? Create a free account and connect to the app's dashboard — sample chapters, sample course modules, and the interactive book reader, free.