Coursera

Performance Engineering for Data Systems Specialization

Coursera

Performance Engineering for Data Systems Specialization

Optimize SQL, Spark, and Data Warehouses.

Learn to diagnose bottlenecks and optimize performance in databases, warehouses, and Spark systems.

Hurix Digital
Merna Elzahaby

Instructors: Hurix Digital

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Get in-depth knowledge of a subject
Intermediate level

Recommended experience

4 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Get in-depth knowledge of a subject
Intermediate level

Recommended experience

4 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Analyze SQL execution plans and Spark UI metrics to diagnose performance bottlenecks and implement targeted optimizations.

  • Design scalable database schemas, partitioning strategies, and storage architectures that balance performance with cost.

  • Engineer resilient cloud data infrastructure using IaC, disaster recovery planning, and systematic resource management.

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Taught in English
Recently updated!

February 2026

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Specialization - 11 course series

What you'll learn

  • Performance optimization requires methodical analysis of execution plans to identify root causes, not just symptoms.

  • Query restructuring with CTEs, optimized joins, and window functions can dramatically improve execution efficiency.

  • Index design needs ongoing analysis of query patterns and data access requirements for sustainable performance.

  • Scalable systems depend on proactive monitoring and optimization cycles that prevent production bottlenecks.

What you'll learn

  • Proactive resource management prevents performance degradation and ensures consistent query execution across diverse workloads and user groups.

  • Security through least-privilege access requires continuous monitoring and systematic auditing of permissions against actual business requirements.

  • Effective incident response depends on blameless post-mortem processes that focus on systemic improvements rather than individual accountability.

  • Operational excellence in data infrastructure requires balancing performance, security, and reliability engineering principles.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Resource Management
Category: Root Cause Analysis
Category: Data Security
Category: Problem Management
Category: Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Category: Site Reliability Engineering
Category: Identity and Access Management
Category: Capacity Management
Category: Configuration Management
Category: Compliance Auditing

What you'll learn

  • Denormalization boosts query speed but demands careful analysis of consistency risks and maintenance costs.

  • Partitioning and clustering strategies must align with actual query patterns and access methods to deliver meaningful performance gains.

  • ER diagrams serve as documentation and validation tools, enabling better communication and system understanding.

  • Schema optimization balances query performance, data integrity, storage efficiency, and maintenance complexity.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Database Design
Category: Data Modeling
Category: SQL
Category: Database Management
Category: Technical Documentation
Category: Database Development
Category: Database Architecture and Administration

What you'll learn

  • Batch data transformation converts raw semi-structured data into analysis-ready formats that support enterprise decisions.

  • Workload analysis guides database design by linking access patterns and query frequency to performance and cost gains.

  • Migration choices must rely on performance testing and quantitative analysis to ensure ROI-driven transformations.

  • System performance depends on storage, queries, and hardware, requiring holistic technical and business evaluation.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Data Architecture
Category: Apache Cassandra
Category: Database Design
Category: Apache Hive
Category: Operational Databases
Category: Data Wrangling
Category: Data Transformation
Category: Database Management
Category: Amazon Redshift
Category: Azure Synapse Analytics

What you'll learn

  • Slowly Changing Dimensions maintain historical data integrity and enable accurate, time-based enterprise analysis.

  • Analyzing data lifecycles balances storage costs with business value, guiding efficient archiving and retention.

  • Multi-cluster architectures isolate workloads, prevent contention, and enable cost control and performance optimization.

  • Sustainable scaling requires governance, automated resource management, and continuous monitoring of performance and cost.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Descriptive Analytics
Category: Data Manipulation
Category: Cost Reduction
Category: Cost Management
Category: Data Architecture
Category: Data Analysis
Category: Extract, Transform, Load
Category: Data Storage
Category: Cost Control
Category: Expense Management
Category: Cloud Computing Architecture

What you'll learn

  • Infrastructure as Code automates data platform deployments, replacing manual processes with version-controlled, repeatable systems.

  • Cost optimization uses performance benchmarking and data analysis to identify efficient compute/storage configs for specific workloads.

  • Business continuity requires proactive disaster recovery with automated failover and continuous replication for strict recovery goals.

  • Successful cloud data engineering balances performance, cost, and reliability through strategic design and continuous monitoring.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Business Continuity
Category: Disaster Recovery
Category: Data Warehousing
Category: Capacity Management
Category: Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Category: Data Architecture
Category: Performance Analysis
Category: Cloud Computing Architecture
Category: Cloud Deployment
Category: Business Continuity Planning
Category: Terraform
Category: Automation
Category: IT Infrastructure
Category: AWS CloudFormation
Category: Benchmarking
Category: Cost Management
Category: Data Infrastructure

What you'll learn

  • Performance optimization is a systematic process requiring analysis of data access patterns, not random configuration changes.

  • Strategic partitioning minimizes expensive network shuffles and is the foundation of scalable Spark applications.

  • Intelligent caching of reusable intermediate datasets can dramatically reduce computation costs and improve job reliability.

  • The Spark UI provides actionable insights that guide optimization decisions and enable data-driven performance improvements.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Apache Spark
Category: Performance Tuning
Category: Data Processing
Category: Data Pipelines
Category: PySpark
Category: Systems Analysis

What you'll learn

  • Performance bottlenecks in distributed systems often stem from uneven data distribution rather than insufficient computational resources.

  • Visual execution plan analysis is essential for identifying specific stages where data processing imbalances occur.

  • Proactive partition strategy selection prevents performance degradation more effectively than reactive optimization

  • Spark's shuffle.partitions configuration and broadcast join patterns are fundamental tools for sustainable pipeline optimization.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Performance Tuning
Category: Apache Spark
Category: PySpark
Category: Data Processing
Category: Scalability
Category: Performance Analysis
Category: Debugging
Category: Data Pipelines
Category: Distributed Computing

What you'll learn

  • Storage format choice strongly affects query performance and should match workload needs, not general assumptions.

  • Column storage suits read-heavy analytics, while row storage performs better for transactional and write-focused workloads.

  • Benchmarking with real datasets and queries offers the best basis for sound storage architecture decisions.

  • Compression and ingestion speed must be balanced carefully to align performance with business priorities.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Data-Driven Decision-Making
Category: Data Storage
Category: Data Storage Technologies
Category: Amazon Redshift
Category: Data Architecture
Category: Analysis
Category: Query Languages
Category: Data Processing
Category: Star Schema
Category: Performance Testing
Category: Apache Hive
Category: Technical Communication
Category: Snowflake Schema
Category: Scalability
Category: Data Warehousing

What you'll learn

  • Proactive performance monitoring prevents system failures and ensures consistent user experience across production environments.

  • Systematic diagnosis of query bottlenecks requires understanding both query logic efficiency and underlying resource limitations.

  • Strategic resource allocation combines technical optimization with business requirements to maintain service level agreements.

  • Continuous performance analysis creates a feedback loop that improves system reliability over time.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Operational Databases
Category: Performance Testing
Category: Application Performance Management
Category: Performance Tuning
Category: Query Languages
Category: Database Management
Category: Capacity Management
Category: Continuous Monitoring
Category: Service Level
Category: System Monitoring

What you'll learn

  • Inspect Spark UI and metrics (task duration, shuffle I/O, executor CPU/mem) to find bottlenecks and recommend actionable optimizations.

  • Apply partitioning and skew mitigation (salting/custom partitioner) & reduce shuffle (broadcast joins, avoid groupByKey, AQE) to improve parallelism.

  • Configure executors, cores, memory, dynamic allocation and parallelism/caching settings to maximize throughput while meeting defined SLA targets.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Performance Tuning
Category: Apache Spark
Category: Database Management
Category: Performance Analysis
Category: PySpark
Category: Scalability
Category: Debugging
Category: Process Optimization
Category: Job Analysis
Category: System Configuration
Category: Resource Allocation

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Instructors

Hurix Digital
Coursera
371 Courses 29,610 learners
Merna Elzahaby
Coursera
1 Course 43 learners

Offered by

Coursera

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