- NETHERLANDS: 21-25/9/26
- TÜRKİYE: 19-23/10/26
- DENMARK: 16-20/11/26
- SPAIN: 30/11-4/12/26
Course Brief
Data handling is the systematic process of collecting, organizing, analyzing, and presenting data to extract meaningful insights and support decision-making. Efficient Datahandling is a critical task in the mining industry. If datahandling is efficient, then professional can focus on operational decisions rather than time-consuming data processing. Relational databases concepts were developed in the 1970s and are designed to allow efficient datahandling. Understanding relational databases concepts is quite straightforward. However self-taught approaches, or indeed some University courses, can make relational databases appear overly confusing.
This course has been developed for Geoscientists and Engineers, who are looking for quicker ways to handle data (both retrieval and storage).
The course starts at introducing datahandling concepts in Excel. These include: lookup functions, named ranges and pivot tables. The course explains the strengths and weakness of these methods, and then compares these Excel approaches to RDMS approaches. The course focuses on two main RDBMS: Access and SQL Server (although the course can be customised to other RDBMS if required).
Access is easier to learn than SQL Server. In particular Access is highly compatible with Excel (as both Excel and Access are MS Office Applications). So Access is used to introduce many of the key concepts of relational databases such as visual construction of Queries, Table relationships and SQL.
SQL is Sequential Query Language and is the foundation of all common RDBMS. The course also includes relevant VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). There are two purposes of VBA:
- To create user-defined functions in Excel and Access.
- To facilitate integration of Excel with RDBMS.
The course does not go into VBA in depth beyond this. (Participants who may wish to learn VBA in more depth are encouraged to consider the DEKA Dyamics courses – Professional Excel).
The course is divided into eight sections:
- Fundamental concepts of relational databases.
- Data-handling in Excel.
- Introducing Access
- Introducing SQL Server
- Database design
- Introducing SQL Server
- Excel/RDBMS integration.
- Database management
COURSE DELIVERY
This course is a hands-on coding course, led by the instructor. No experience in coding, scripting, or macro writing is necessary. No previous knowledge of relational databases is required.
About Microsoft SQL Server and Access:
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft. Microsoft supplies free versions. The Express version is sufficient, Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) also needs to be downloaded (free). Access is generally available via Microsoft Office.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS WILL GAIN FROM THIS COURSE
By being able todevelop strategies to handle data more efficiently, the professional staff can focus on core activities such as interpreting data to make operational decisions.