Introduction to NoSQL Databases (Coursera)

Offered by IBM,
Introduction to NoSQL Databases (Coursera)

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 gained a lot of relevance in the database landscape. Their main advantage is the ability to effectively handle scalability and flexibility issues raised by modern applications.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

You will start by learning the history and the basics of NoSQL databases and discover 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, namely MongoDB, Cassandra, and IBM Cloudant. You will then get hands-on experience using those 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.
Completing this course will count towards your learning in any of the following programs:

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introducing NoSQL
NoSQL means Not only SQL. The term refers to a class of databases that are non-relational in architecture. They have their roots in the open source community. NoSQL databases have become more popular due to the demands of Big Data.
In this module, you will learn about the characteristics of NoSQL and the four main categories of NoSQL databases available. You will explore the differences between the ACID and BASE consistency models, the advantages and challenges of distributed systems, and the CAP theorem and its characteristics. You will learn how to decide when to use RDBMS and when to use NoSQL.

WEEK 2
Introducing MongoDB - An Open-Source NoSQL Database
MongoDB is a document-oriented NoSQL database. It is easy to access by indexing and supports various data types, including dates and numbers. MongoDB is the most popular NoSQL database today, empowering users to query, manipulate, and find interesting insights from their collected data. It can also be used for a variety of purposes because of the flexibility of storing structured or unstructured data.
In this module, you will learn about the characteristics of MongoDB and expand your hands-on working knowledge of MongoDB performing various common tasks including create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) operations, limit and sort records, indexing, and aggregation. You will explore replication and sharding, which are very important concepts in MongoDB. The scale and availability we see with MongoDB is achieved using these two concepts.

WEEK 3
Introducing Apache Cassandra - An Open-Source NoSQL Database
Apache Cassandra is an open source database. It is best used by "always available" type of applications that require a database that is always available, that scales fast in situations of high traffic, and is the right choice when you need scalability and high availability without compromising performance. Apache Cassandra is best used by online services like Netflix, Uber, and Spotify.
In this module, you will learn about the characteristics of Apache Cassandra. You will also expand your hands-on working knowledge of Cassandra performing various common tasks including using the CQL shell, keyspace operations, table operations, and CRUD operations.

WEEK 4
Introducing IBM Cloudant - A NoSQL DBaaS
Database-as-a-service (DBaaS) is a popular solution for hybrid multicloud applications. IBM Cloudant is a fully managed DBaaS built on open source Apache CouchDB. Cloudant aims to be the data layer for all your web and mobile applications. In this module, you will find out how simple developing modern web applications is with Cloudant's rich features and JSON document store.You will explore the architecture of Cloudant as a NoSQL database. You will gain hands-on experience with Cloudant capabilities and key technologies. And you will learn how to use the Cloudant dashboard to create and manage your database.

WEEK 5
Final Project - Working with NoSQL Databases
This module contains the final project for this course. You will consolidate the skills that you learned throughout this course by applying them to a specific scenario. To complete the project successfully, you must demonstrate that you have the skills to .....

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Introduction to Meteor.js Development (Coursera) Coursera
University of London,Goldsmiths, University of London

Introduction to Meteor.js Development (Coursera)

In this course, you will learn how to create a complete, multi-user web site using the Meteor.js framework and MongoDB. You will implement user authentication, security features, reactive templates and routing using iron router. You will carry out key database operations such as inserting, removing and updating data as well as sorting and filtering. You will see how a complete application can be built, line by line.

May 4th 2026
4 Weeks
Data Engineering and Machine Learning using Spark (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Data Engineering and Machine Learning using Spark (Coursera)

Organizations need skilled, forward-thinking Big Data practitioners who can apply their business and technical skills to unstructured data such as tweets, posts, pictures, audio files, videos, sensor data, and satellite imagery and more to identify behaviors and preferences of prospects, clients, competitors, and others. In this short course you'll gain practical skills when you learn how to work with Apache Spark for Data Engineering and Machine Learning (ML) applications. You will work hands-on with Spark MLlib, Spark Structured Streaming, and more to perform extract, transform and load (ETL) tasks as well as Regression, Classification, and Clustering.

Jan 29th 2024
3 Weeks
AWS Database Specialty Certification (Coursera) Coursera
EDUCBA

AWS Database Specialty Certification (Coursera)

This course offers a comprehensive journey through the world of databases and their management on the AWS cloud platform. From understanding the core concepts of databases to mastering advanced topics like migration, automation, and security, participants will gain a solid foundation in database design, deployment, and management using AWS services.

Aug 31st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Relational Database Administration (DBA) (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Relational Database Administration (DBA) (Coursera)

Ongoing and proactive management is critical to the security and performance of database management systems. Database administration is the function of managing the operational aspects of database systems and maintaining them. Database administrators work to ensure that applications make the most efficient use of databases and that physical resources are used adequately and efficiently.

Aug 24th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Data Science for Business Innovation (Coursera) Coursera
Politecnico di Milano,EIT Digital

Data Science for Business Innovation (Coursera)

The course is a compendium of the must-have expertise in data science for executive and middle-management to foster data-driven innovation. It consists of introductory lectures spanning big data, machine learning, data valorization and communication. Topics cover the essential concepts and intuitions on data needs, data analysis, machine learning methods, respective pros and cons, and practical applicability issues.

Aug 24th 2026
4 Weeks
Getting Started with Apache Cassandra (Coursera) Coursera
Whizlabs

Getting Started with Apache Cassandra (Coursera)

The “Getting Started with Cassandra” course is designed to help you gain knowledge of the Cassandra database system. You will learn architecture as well as how to design, build and use Cassandra databases. This training course helps you develop your skills and knowledge in Cassandra. Cassandra is a NoSQL database that has the traits of a distributed, open-source, and decentralized database or storage system. It can support the management of excessively massive amounts of structured data without a single point of failure, thereby resulting in the provision of highly available services.

Sep 14th 2026
3 Weeks
Big Data: adquisición y almacenamiento de datos (Coursera) Coursera
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Big Data: adquisición y almacenamiento de datos (Coursera)

¿Estás interesado en tener un conocimiento más detallado sobre las herramientas y aplicaciones Big Data? En este curso aprenderás los principios para comprender la terminología, conceptos básicos y herramientas más importantes para resolver problemas de análisis de datos enfocándonos en los problemas y las aplicaciones. El objetivo es proporcionar una visión de sistema para entender los retos más importantes que nos encontramos cuando trabajamos en entornos con grandes volúmenes de datos.

Jan 13th 2025
4 Weeks
Desarrollo del lado servidor: NodeJS, Express y MongoDB (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Austral

Desarrollo del lado servidor: NodeJS, Express y MongoDB (Coursera)

En este curso trabajarás del lado servidor, en el backend, desarrollando el soporte que toda aplicación necesita para lidiar con la persistencia de la información, el setup de un servidor web, la creación de una API REST, autenticación y autorización, y la integración de librerías de terceros. Utilizarás Express para el servidor web, y una base de datos NoSQL orientada a documentos: MongoDB. Aprenderás de ODM con Mongoose y harás las típicas tareas CRUD sobre Mongo. Finalmente pondrás productivo tu sitio en Heroku.

Aug 24th 2026
4 Weeks
Hands-on Introduction to Linux Commands and Shell Scripting (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Hands-on Introduction to Linux Commands and Shell Scripting (Coursera)

This mini-course provides a practical introduction to commonly used Linux / UNIX shell commands and teaches you basics of Bash shell scripting to automate a variety of tasks. The course includes both video-based lectures as well as hands-on labs to practice and apply what you learn. You will have no-charge access to a virtual Linux server that you can access through your web browser, so you don't need to download and install anything to perform the labs.

Aug 31st 2026
1 Week