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Programming 103: Saving and Structuring Data

CO219 Online course

Learn how to save and structure data in external files, and import files back into your Python programs.

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Data & information Programming Key stage 3 Key stage 4 KS3 and GCSE subject knowledge certificate
Free online course Approximately 8 hours of self-study

Discover how to save data to use it across multiple runs of your program

On this course, you will learn how to save text and binary files, and how to structure data so that programs can interpret it correctly. 

You will explore various common types of structured files, including CSV and JSON, and also find out how to connect to a SQL database to use it in your Python programs.

This course is designed for those who have a little Python experience and are comfortable using functions with parameters–as covered in our Programming 102 course. Please note: screengrabs and recorded screencasts are key elements of this course.

Who is it for?

This course is aimed at classroom teachers teaching up to and including GCSE computer science.

Topics covered

You'll cover the following topics:

  • Creating, reading from, and writing to files using Python
  • The importance of data persistence
  • Structuring data using CSV files, Python dictionaries, and JSON files
  • How data structures aid compatibility between systems
  • Interacting with databases using SQL and Python

How will you learn?

This online, self-paced course can be completed flexibly. You can join and start this course at any time after the advertised date, and keep access for a year after booking. You can learn independently or with colleagues to directly address your individual needs.

This course will be periodically facilitated by expert Professional Development Leaders.

Outcomes

You will be able to:

  • Demonstrate how to use Python to store and retrieve persistent data
  • Explain the importance of data persistence and where it is used
  • Compare different types of structured data
  • Modify a program to store data in a JSON file
  • Perform operations on a database using SQL statements

This course is part of the KS3 and GCSE Computer Science subject knowledge certificate

Key stage 3 and GCSE Computer Science certificate

Our certificate is designed to help you develop or refresh your computer science subject knowledge.

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This course is from the National Centre for Computing Education and is delivered by STEM Learning.

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