Course Catalog SQL Analysis

Overview

This repository contains SQL analyses on a LinkedIn Learning course catalog dataset with 8,558 courses. The goal is to uncover patterns in online learning trends, skill demands, and content lifecycle over the past two decades.

Dataset

• Source: LinkedIn Learning Course Catalog Dataset on Kaggle (contributed by Azrai Mohamad)
• Fields: Course ID, Title, Release & Last Updated Dates, Level, Category, Subject, Skills, Status (Active/Retired)

Analysis Overview

This project addresses various questions about course offerings, release patterns, and skill trends using SQL.

Analysis Objectives

1. Lifespan Trends
   • Question: Do "Creative" and "Technology" courses differ in lifespan?
   • Method: Calculates average lifespan in days for courses in each category.
   • Insight: Creative courses generally have a longer lifespan than Technology courses, indicating that creative content may stay relevant for longer.

2. Release Date Patterns
   • Question: Are there specific months or quarters with higher course releases?
   • Method: Counts releases by month and by quarter.
   • Insight: June (6) has the highest course releases with a count of 262, followed by May (5) and April (4), each with over 250 releases. This suggests that late spring to early summer is a peak period for course releases.
   • December (12) has the lowest course release count (174), followed by November (11) and February (2). This might suggest a slowdown in releases at the end of the year, potentially due to holiday seasons, with fewer new courses being launched in the winter months.

3. Popular Skills

   • Question: What are the top 5 most frequently mentioned skills?

   • Method: Splits comma-separated skills, and counts occurrences.

   • Insight: The top skills include Adobe Photoshop, Video Editing, and Front-End Development, reflecting high-demand areas within the course catalog.

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4. Yearly Releases & Retirements

   • Question: How many courses were released and retired each year?

   • Method: Calculates yearly counts of released and retired courses.

   • Insight: There's a steady increase in course releases over the years, with a significant spike in retirements starting in 2014, peaking dramatically in 2017.

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5. Longest Update Gap

   • Question: Which courses have the longest gap between the release and the last update?

   • Method: Calculates time difference between release and last update, ranks top gaps.

   • Insight: Courses with very long update gaps might need continuous monitoring to ensure they align with current industry standards and learning expectations, especially for fast-evolving topics like web design and animation tools.

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Folder Structure

• analysis/: SQL scripts for each analysis objective
• data/: Placeholder for dataset files (if applicable)
• README.md: Project overview and usage instructions

Usage

1. Setup: Load the dataset in a MySQL-compatible environment.
2. Run Queries: Use the SQL scripts in the analysis/ folder to generate insights.
3. Interpret Results: Each query provides insights into different aspects of the course catalog, from release patterns to popular skills.