Our Story
Founded in February 2013 by Abubeker Refaw, SQL DBA School was built on one principle: hands-on practice that maps directly to real production work. What started as weekend labs has grown into a full training and placement program serving candidates across the U.S., Canada, and global teams with U.S. time-zone overlap.
What We Teach
SQL Server & T-SQL for Developers
Schema design, writing and tuning queries, indexing strategies, transactions, error handling, functions, and performance patterns.
SQL Database Administration (DBA)
Backups/restores, HA/DR (Always On, clustering), security and auditing, automation (Agent, PowerShell), capacity and performance monitoring.
Business Intelligence (MSBI / SQL BI)
SSIS pipelines, SSRS reporting, analytics workflows, and fundamentals that connect data engineering to business outcomes.
Cloud Data Platforms
Azure SQL (MI vs. DB, Query Store, AFG, Private Link) and AWS RDS/Aurora (Performance Insights, Multi-AZ, snapshots, IAM/KMS).
How Training Works
Lab-first learning: reproducible exercises, production-style runbooks, and on-call scenarios.
Instructor feedback: code and configuration reviews focused on reliability and provable outcomes.
Portfolio artifacts: GitHub READMEs, diagrams, and postmortems that interviewers actually want to see.
Assessments: practical checks on backup/restore plans, query tuning, DR drills, and security hardening.
Ready to get started? Visit Careers & Application or browse Open Roles.
Career Services (We Place)
Apply once, get matched: We route your profile to active openings that fit your skills and work style—remote and on-site.
Interview prep: resume polish, mock interviews, and salary-negotiation strategy.
Hiring partner referrals: introductions to real teams across SQL, Cloud, DevOps, Data, and Security.
See: Remote SQL DBA Jobs • Junior Path • Azure SQL • AWS RDS
Outcomes (Self-Reported)
Graduates report placements across:
Database Administration (SQL DBA)
Network & Systems Administration
Web & Software Development
Data Engineering & BI
We continually refine curriculum using feedback from hiring managers to keep skills aligned to what teams deploy in production.
Leadership
Abubeker Refaw — Founder
For 12+ years, Abubeker has helped aspiring and working professionals master Microsoft SQL Server and land real jobs. He combines clinical rigor (systems thinking, documentation, measurable outcomes) with modern data-platform engineering.
Founder’s credentials:
DPT • B.S. in Health Services (Minor: Business Management) • Microsoft Certified: MCITP, MCSA, MCSE, MCTS, MTA, MCSD • SQL Server DBA Expert & Solutions Architect (Performance, HA/DR, Cloud) • Full-Stack Coder (T-SQL, .NET, JavaScript) • SEO & Organic Growth Strategist (technical SEO, structured data, programmatic content)
Meet the team and learn how we coach and place: Careers at SQL DBA School
Who We Serve
Career-changers with new lab skills
Junior candidates building a first portfolio
Experienced DBAs modernizing to cloud data platforms
Teams seeking vetted SQL talent (referrals available)
How to Apply
Submit the career form (takes ~5 minutes).
Get matched to active roles that align with your profile.
Interview with confidence using our prep checklist.
Accept the offer and grow with ongoing mentorship.
Apply now: Careers & Application • View Open Roles
FAQ (for rich results)
Q1. Do you only teach, or do you place as well?
A. Both. We teach, coach, and refer qualified candidates to hiring partners for remote and on-site roles.
Q2. Can I get matched without prior job experience?
A. Yes—see our Junior path. A small home lab and a clear GitHub README help a lot.
Q3. Do you cover Azure SQL and AWS RDS/Aurora?
A. Yes. Start with Azure SQL and AWS RDS job hubs.
Q4. Are roles remote, on-site, or hybrid?
A. All three, depending on the employer and time-zone requirements.
Q5. How fast can I interview?
A. Timing varies by role availability. Applying once lets us notify you as soon as there’s a strong match.
