Courses and Specializations span database administration, cloud computing, and data governance. You can also build skills in applied machine learning, big data analysis, and data warehousing to support IT career growth.
Data management professionals can come from diverse educational backgrounds, such as computer science, business administration, or mathematics and statistics. Their most important skills are organizational and interpersonal; they need to be able to methodically collect, organize, and analyze large datasets while also communicating their relevance to both technical (i.e. data engineers) and non-technical (i.e. C-suite decision-makers) audiences.
Data managers also need strong computer science skills. That includes proficiency in programming languages such as Python and Java, database systems such as SQL and NoSQL, and operating systems such as UNIX and LINUX. As more and more business computer services move to the cloud, data management professionals increasingly must know how to work with cloud computing platforms like Azure, IBM Cloud, and Google Cloud.
Many learners begin with Google’s Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere to understand core concepts. You can also practice cleaning and preparing data in Process Data from Dirty to Clean.
Explore the IBM Data Engineering Professional Certificate for SQL, data pipelines, and warehousing. For DBA-focused skills, see IBM Relational Database Administrator with GenAI and the Data Engineering Foundations Specialization.
Popular options include Google’s Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere and the IBM Data Engineering Professional Certificate. Top-rated picks include Analysis for Business Systems and Generative AI SQL Database Specialist with ChatGPT.
Data management courses on Coursera are designed to meet learners at different knowledge levels:
Yes—earn Professional Certificates like IBM Data Engineering or IBM Relational Database Administrator with GenAI, or a Specialization such as BI Foundations with SQL, ETL and Data Warehousing. You can also pursue related degrees like Northeastern’s MS in Information Systems or CU Boulder’s MS in Computer Science.
Try Guided Projects for step-by-step, browser-based practice, such as SQLServer for Beginners: Database Design & CRUD Operations and Business Intelligence with SQLServer: Create SQL Reports. You can also build analytics skills with Multi-Table data analysis with Tableau: Customer Analysis.
Yes—data management often intersects with cloud and security. You can expand your pathway via Coursera’s related categories, including Cloud Computing and Security.