There are many advantages to using SQLAlchemy, including using native Python language constructs for queries, transactions, and stored procedures and easily porting code between database servers.

You begin this course by installing MySQL on both Windows and Macintosh platforms. You'll then learn how to access a database from SQLAlchemy using the create_engine method, and how to specify the driver, dialect, and server information correctly.

You move on to creating database tables as well as associated constraints from Python using SQLAlchemy's Core API and the Table abstraction. You'll then query that table using a fluent-style API from SQLAlchemy's SQL Expression Language. You'll also learn how to specify primary key, unique, and not null constraints.

At the end of the course, you'll have a solid handle on basic functionalities of the core APIs of SQLAlchemy.