The business problem
Northwind Traders is a fictional specialty-foods importer/exporter. The dataset has the right amount of complexity for getting fluent in SQL — eight or so well-related tables, realistic data, plenty of business questions you can ask without being overwhelmed. Use it as your sandbox while you're learning, and as a calibration check whenever a new technique feels confusing.
Case kit
The two flavors
Open either in MS Access (Office 365). Same schema, different sizes — start small, scale up when you want more realistic queries.
- Northwind-S (Small) — Access databaseSlimmed-down for fast queries while you're learning.
- Northwind-L (Large) — Access databaseFull Northwind with more rows.
Practice prompts
- Week 2 — SQL Practice Worksheet (uses Northwind)
- Business Questions → SQL WorksheetTranslate plain-English business asks into queries.