SQL for Genealogy: Online Video Course

  • Convert your family tree into a database
  • Create detailed genealogy reports using simple and complex SQL

AVAILABLE NOW!

The course launched in December 2024 on our Gumroad store.

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COURSE BREAKDOWN

Each lesson is a project where you build up queries to produce a useful report from the data in your family tree.

Lesson 1: Convert Your Family Tree Into A SQL Database

You should already have a family tree online or in desktop software. Your tree may be in:

  • Ancestry.com
  • MyHeritage.com
  • Geni.com
  • Family Tree Maker
  • RootsMagic

We’ll walk you through exporting the tree to a GEDCOM file and creating a SQL database on your Windows or Mac computer.

Lesson 2: Creating The Person List

Build a detailed SQL report of every person in your family tree, complete with birth and death details alongside their parents’ names.

If you’re a SQL beginner, you’ll learn how create and combine subqueries to make a single list.

Lesson 3: Creating a Surname Frequency Report

Generate a frequency report of all surnames in your family tree, giving you insights into the most prominent family lines.

If you’re a SQL beginner, you’ll learn how to group data to produce summary insights.

We show you how to use Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to transform your data into charts like this:

Lesson 4: Address And Place Name Reports

Learn how to parse birthplaces and deathplaces into manageable pieces for further analysis. Then you will create frequency reports for the various addresses in your family tree.

We show you how to use Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to transform your data into geographical heat maps like this:

Lesson 5: Creating the “At This Place” Report

Learn how to create a report that lists all family tree events at a specific location.

You’ll be able to pull together these events into a cohesive report, giving you a clear view of your family’s activities in particular towns, states, or countries.

You’ll also learn how to identify and fix inconsistent place names in your family tree.

Lesson 6: Date Calculations And Analysis

Learn a series of useful date calculations that lets you identify interesting date patterns in your family tree.

Use the birth and death dates in your tree to identify persons who were outside typical life expectancy rates for their era.

Lesson 7: Identifying Duplicate Entries in Your Family Tree

Learn techniques to spot and handle duplicate individuals that are messing up your tree.

This helps keep your genealogy data accurate and clean.

Lesson 8: Identifying Age Issues in Your Family Tree

Discover how to check for age discrepancies.

For example, find individuals with lifespans beyond typical life expectancy or women having children outside typical child-bearing ages.

Lesson 9: Identify The Largest Families In Your Tree

Which parents have the highest number of children in your tree? How many families have more than six children?

Learn how to run a report that analyzes the number of children for every father and mother.

Lesson 10: Identifying Missing Details in Your Family Tree

Use SQL to detect and highlight missing details in your tree.

For example, run reports to show all people without a death location or married women without a known maiden name.

Lesson 11: Extracting Ancestral Lines with Recursive Queries

Recursive querying is one of the more advanced SQL topics. This lesson will show how to build recursive queries to show ancestral lines.

Analyze your data to pinpoint which ancestral lines have gaps and missing ancestors. This shows you where to direct and focus your family research.

INSTRUCTOR BIO

Margaret O’Brien has over twenty years of professional SQL experience alongside her hobby as a genealogy enthusiast.

She created the DataMiningDNA.com website to share insights and tutorials to guide genealogy and family research.

TESTIMONIALS

This is a new course so we’ll show you some reviews and feedback for our other digital products. The reviews are from our Gumroad store.

FAQ

What kind of computer do I need?

You need either a Windows or Mac laptop or desktop computer. The free software used in this course will not install on an iPad.

What format is the course?

This is an online video course supplemented with downloadable SQL scripts.

What do I need before I start the course?

You need a family tree that can be exported to a GEDCOM file (we’ll give you resources on how to do that).

If your family tree is on any of the platforms below, you’ll be good:

  • Ancestry website
  • MyHeritage website
  • Geni website
  • Family Tree Maker software
  • MyHeritage Family Tree Builder software
  • RootsMagic software

If you don’t see your platform on the list, get in touch and we’ll tell you if you can use this course.