Database for training

Iva razmadze 0 Reputation points
2026-07-22T17:29:03.31+00:00

Hello,

I want to train for data analytics projects w/o AI, does Microsoft provide real databases to work on?

SQL Server Analysis Services
SQL Server Analysis Services

A Microsoft online analytical data engine used in decision support and business analytics, providing the analytical data for business reports and client applications such as Power BI, Excel, Reporting Services reports, and other data visualization tools.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-07-22T17:29:29.3433333+00:00

    Yes. Microsoft provides real datasets and real database services that can be used to practice data analytics projects without AI.

    Two practical options are supported by the context:

    1. Use Azure relational database services Azure supports SQL-based database solutions including SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and MySQL for storing and retrieving application data in the cloud. Training content is available for provisioning and working with Azure SQL Database, including using the Azure portal and Cloud Shell.
    2. Use real public datasets in Azure Azure Open Datasets provides curated public datasets that are copied into Azure and preprocessed for easier use. These are real datasets suitable for analytics workflows. Examples listed include:
      • NYC taxi trip records
      • US Labor Force Statistics
      • US National Employment Hours and Earnings

    If the goal is hands-on analytics practice, the most direct path is:

    • provision an Azure SQL Database or another Azure relational database service
    • load one of the Azure Open Datasets or another public dataset into it
    • practice querying, reporting, and analysis

    Visual Studio also supports working with data across many database systems, including Azure SQL Server DB, Azure Storage, Azure Cosmos DB, SQLite, and local/container-based PostgreSQL and MongoDB options.

    References:

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  2. Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-07-22T21:05:45.2033333+00:00

    The AI answer included this answer What are Azure Open Datasets and how can you use them? which gives you links to a couple of datasets. I haven't tried these myself, as I am not really in the Analytics space, but I recognise the name of several of them.

    If you want a relational database, there are a number of AdventureWorks databases that you can find here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/samples/adventureworks-install-configure.

    Another sample database is the WorldWideImporters database, of which there is one OLTP database and one database for Azure Synapse Analytics.

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