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Building Smarter Data Pipelines: SQL, Spark, Kafka & GenAI Specialization
Coursera Instructor Network

Building Smarter Data Pipelines: SQL, Spark, Kafka & GenAI Specialization

Build Scalable Data Engineering Systems. Learn to design, implement, and optimize data pipelines using industry-standard tools and frameworks

Caio Avelino
Starweaver
Soheil Haddadi

Instructors: Caio Avelino

Included with Coursera Plus

Get in-depth knowledge of a subject

(5 reviews)

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

1 month at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Earn a career credential
Share your expertise with employers
Get in-depth knowledge of a subject

(5 reviews)

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

1 month at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Earn a career credential
Share your expertise with employers

What you'll learn

  • Design and implement scalable data ingestion, processing, and storage systems using Apache Kafka and Spark

  • Build high-performance data pipelines integrating cloud platforms, databases, and generative AI technologies

  • Apply data engineering best practices for enterprise-scale analytics, optimization, and real-time processing

Overview

What’s included

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Taught in English
Recently updated!

August 2025

26 practice exercises

Advance your subject-matter expertise

  • Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
  • Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
  • Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
  • Earn a career certificate from Coursera Instructor Network

Specialization - 8 course series

What you'll learn

  • Analyse the architecture and components of data pipelines to understand their impact on data flow and processing efficiency.

  • Implement robust ETL processes, for scalability and maintainability.

  • Analyze big data challenges and introduce Hadoop ecosystem tools (HDFS, MapReduce, Hive, Pig, and Spark) for data processing tasks.

Skills you'll gain

Apache Hadoop, Data Pipelines, Big Data, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Transformation, Data Quality, Data Analysis, Data Warehousing, Apache Spark, Strategic Decision-Making, Scalability, Data Integration, Data Migration, Data Processing, Apache Hive, Data Management, Business Analytics, and Data Strategy

What you'll learn

  • Identify and describe the components and importance of data ecosystems.

  • Understand the basic structure and function of data pipelines.

  • Recognize the steps involved in ETL workflows and their role in data handling.

  • Gain an introductory knowledge of big data and the application of Apache Spark.

Skills you'll gain

Apache Spark, Data Pipelines, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Processing, Data Management, Data Integration, Big Data, Data Warehousing, and Scalability

What you'll learn

  • Explain the importance of data warehousing in business intelligence.

  • Design and implement effective schema designs for data warehouses.

  • Implement ETL processes to load and transform data into a data warehouse.

  • Apply performance optimization techniques to enhance data warehouse efficiency.

Skills you'll gain

Data Warehousing, Extract, Transform, Load, Snowflake Schema, Star Schema, Database Design, Data Integration, Databases, Scalability, Data Modeling, Business Intelligence, Data Transformation, Performance Tuning, and Data Management

What you'll learn

  • Analyze and tune SQL queries to enhance SQL performance and reduce application latency.

  • Evaluate effective database index and maintenance task strategies to improve efficiency.

  • Monitor the performance of troubleshooting techniques used for resolving common SQL server issues.

  • Apply best practices for SQL Server performance to ensure consistent and reliable operations.

Skills you'll gain

Performance Tuning, Microsoft SQL Servers, SQL, Stored Procedure, Application Performance Management, Scalability, Database Design, System Monitoring, Database Management, and Network Troubleshooting

What you'll learn

  • Show understanding of the fundamentals of cloud architecture, including key components like virtual machines, storage, and networking.

  • Identify and implement core cloud design patterns such as Load Balancer, Circuit Breaker, and Auto-Scaling to ensure scalability and reliability.

  • Demonstrate advanced cloud design patterns, including Microservices Architecture, Event-Driven Architecture, and Serverless Computing.

Skills you'll gain

Serverless Computing, Microservices, Load Balancing, Cloud Computing Architecture, Cloud Platforms, Scalability, Cloud Computing, Cloud Services, Cloud Security, Event-Driven Programming, Software Design Patterns, Cloud Applications, Software Architecture, Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS), and Cloud Infrastructure

What you'll learn

  • Identify the capabilities of GenAI for basic role specific, Data Engineer functions.

  • Examine real-world applications to leverage GenAI for streamlining work and fostering innovation in Data Engineering functions.

  • Deploy strategies and tactics to responsibly integrate GenAI into data engineering practices, while maintaining human oversight and accountability.

Skills you'll gain

Generative AI, Data Ethics, Data Quality, Data Pipelines, Responsible AI, Database Management, Data Transformation, AI Product Strategy, Data Modeling, SQL, and Prompt Engineering

What you'll learn

  • Describe Apache Kafka's architecture and its components, enhancing data pipeline efficiency.

  • Configure and manage Kafka clusters, ensuring high availability and fault tolerance.

  • Apply (Create and use) topics, publishers, and subscribers to facilitate real-time data exchange.

  • Implement basic stream processing applications using Kafka Streams, addressing real-world data challenges.

Skills you'll gain

Scalability, Real Time Data, Apache Kafka, Operational Databases, Data Pipelines, System Monitoring, Performance Tuning, and Data Processing

What you'll learn

Skills you'll gain

Generative AI, Data Quality, Automation, Data Cleansing, Tensorflow, Responsible AI, Data Validation, OpenAI, Artificial Intelligence, Data Processing, Alteryx, and Data Transformation

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructors

Caio Avelino
6 Courses6,352 learners
Starweaver
Coursera Instructor Network
448 Courses843,680 learners
Soheil Haddadi
Coursera Instructor Network
5 Courses2,858 learners
Karlis Zars
28 Courses48,148 learners
Luca Berton
Coursera Instructor Network
8 Courses10,977 learners
Christopher Klaus
Coursera Instructor Network
16 Courses9,730 learners
Dr. Beju Rao
Coursera Instructor Network
5 Courses1,957 learners

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