PingCAP offers interactive hands-on labs, self-paced courses, and professional instructor-led training classes to help users get ramped up quickly on TiDB and TiDB Cloud. Architects, backend developers, AI developers, database administrators and operations professionals can benefit from the training program and demonstrate their expertise by earning a globally recognized certification.
Instructor-led training includes public training class and private training class, and can be delivered remotely or in person.
Beginner – TiDB Practitioner Learning Path
Learn TiDB fundamentals through a self-paced course and hands-on labs, covering architecture, HTAP capabilities, zero downtime, and culminating in a free certification exam.
Build AI applications using TiDB Cloud as a unified storage layer, mastering Retrieval-Augmented Generation and Text-to-SQL with hands-on labs featuring Amazon Bedrock and OpenAI.
Training and Certification
Duration
Content Type
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Lab – Build Vector Search Applications Using Jupyter Notebook
This course focuses on the architecture and design principles of TiDB, which is the basis for administration, development, performance tuning and troubleshooting.
Course Overview
Audience: Architects, Developers and DBAs
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 1 day
Prerequisites: Basic computer, operating system, network and database knowledge; Ability to read simple SQL statements.
Understand the HTAP core functions of the TiDB database
TiFlash Overview
Describe the architecture of TiFlash
Understand the main functions of TiFlash
03: New Features in TiDB v6.0
Understand Placement Rules in SQL
Describe small table cache
Understand in-memory pessimistic lock
Understand Top SQL
04: New Features in TiDB 8.1 and 8.5
Understand TiKV MVCC in-memory engine
Understand foreign keys
Understand global index for partitioned tables
Understand monitoring indexes usage statistics
Understand TiProxy
Understand Vector Search
05: TiDB Cloud
Describe why you should consider the “The Cloud”
Describe TiDB Cloud account types
Compare and contrast TiDB and TiDB Cloud
Get you to create a TiDB Cloud account and try it
3. Course – TiDB Self-Managed Administration Using TiUP
This course guides you learn about managing TiDB Self-Managed, backup and restore strategies, as well as the scenarios and common usage of some ecosystem tools.
Course Overview
Audience: Database administrators
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 2 days
Prerequisites: You have completed TiDB Essentials, or you should be familiar with distributed database operation and administer or equivalent work experience.
Private training available. To purchase a private training, please speak to your PingCAP representative or contact sales.
Course Outline
01: TiDB Cluster Deployment
Describe TiUP
Understand how to deploy a TiDB Cluster
Understand how to connect to TiDB
02: Connecting to TiDB
Understand the scope of TiDB system variables
Understand TiDB configuration file parameters
Describe how to modify TiDB system variables
Describe how to modify TiDB configuration file parameters
03: Security and User Management
Understand authentication and authorization
Understand the levels of access privileges for users
Manage TiDB user accounts
Grant and revoke privileges
Use SQL statements to manage accounts
04: Maintaining a TiDB cluster
Understand how to scale out and scale in TiDB cluster components
Understand how to clean up and Delete a TiDB cluster
Understand the timezone in TiDB
Describe placement rule
Understand how to upgrade a TiDB cluster
Understand how to monitor a TiDB cluster
05: Resource Control
Describe what resource control is
Understand the decision logic of resource control
Discuss the usage scenarios of resource control
Explain how to use resource control
Understand a real-world use case of resource control
06: Backup Terminology and Strategies
Describe TiDB backup types
Compare the various backup techniques
07: Importing Data using TiDB Lightning
Describe what TiDB Lightning is
Explain when and how to use TiDB Lightning
Using TiDB Lightning to import data
08: Exporting Data using Dumpling
Explain when and how to use Dumpling
Use Dumpling to perform logical backups
09: Backup and Restore
Describe what BR is
Explain when and how to use BR
Using BR to backup and restore TiDB cluster data
Understand point-in-time recovery (PITR)
Understand how to recover from data loss
10: Using sync-diff-inspector to Validate Data
Describe the key features of sync-diff-inspector
Explain when and how to use sync-diff-inspector
Using sync-diff-inspector to compare schema and data
11: Migrating Data from MySQL-compatible Databases with TiDB Data Migration (DM)
Describe the key features of TiDB Data Migration
Explain when and how to use TiDB Data Migration
Replicate data from MySQL-compatible upstream by using TiDB Data Migration cluster
12: Replicating TiDB Change Events Using TiCDC
Describe the key features of TiCDC cluster
Explain when and how to use TiCDC cluster
Using TiCDC cluster to fan out database change events to downstreams
4. Course – TiDB SQL Tuning
This course provides in-depth knowledge and practical skills to optimize SQL performance in TiDB. You will learn to design effective table and index structures, manage partitioned tables, and understand the SQL optimization processes.
Course Overview
Audience: SQL developers or DBAs
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 2 days
Prerequisites: A good working knowledge and understanding of SQL statements is assumed.
Private training available. To purchase a private training, please speak to your PingCAP representative or contact sales.
Course Outline
01: Clustered and Non-Clustered Indexes Considerations for Performance
Understand the primary key and the underlying indexes in TiDB
Describe the query (SELECT) process
Describe the data modification (INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE) process
Describe the TiKV Region split process
Performance tune common TiKV Region hotspots issues
02: Secondary Indexes and Partitioned Tables
Understand and create secondary indexes
Understand the table partition types
Create partitioned tables
Modify partitioned tables
Describe the best practices with partitioned tables
03: Optimizer Fundamentals
Describe each phase of SQL statements processing
Explain the functionality of the optimizer
Explain the various phases of optimization
Display execution plans
Monitor SQL statements
04: Optimizing Queries
Describe the operators and data aggregators for tables and indexes
List the possible access paths for tables and indexes
Use indexes to improve query performance
Describe the aggregation function operators
Describe the operators for joins
List the possible access paths for joins
Describe the TiFlash MPP architecture
Use TiFlash to improve query performance
05: Cost Based Optimizer (CBO) Statistics Management
Explain how CBO statistics works
Understand the fundamental components of statistics
Display CBO statistics
Gather CBO statistics
Import and export statistics
Use dynamic pruning to optimize queries for partitioned tables
06: Best Practices for SQL Tuning in TiDB
Control execution plans with optimizer hints
Control execution plans with SQL Plan Management (SPM)
Understand the best practices for using indexes and writing effective SQL
5. Exam – TiDB Practitioner
Becoming a certified TiDB Practitioner demonstrates your understanding of the TiDB’s basic concepts, terminology, and use cases. It is an entry-level certification designed for anyone who is interested in TiDB, even if you have little experience with TiDB or database technologies. This beginner-friendly, absolutely free certification can be retaken as many times as necessary until you succeed. It is a good starting point to pursue advanced TiDB certifications.
Exam Overview
Audience: Any roles
Prerequisites: None
Level: Foundational
Price: Free
Time Allotted: 50 minutes
Format: 30 questions that may be multiple choice, multiple response
This credential helps organizations identify and develop talent with critical skills for deploying, managing, and operating workloads on TiDB and TiDB Cloud. To earn this certification, you can either purchase a seat by yourself or speak to your PingCAP Sales representative directly.
Exam Overview
Audience: Database administrator
Prerequisites: None
Level: Associate
Price: $100 USD
Time Allotted: 80 minutes
Format: 50 questions that may be multiple choice, multiple response, fill-in-the-blanks or ordering.
Describe the overall architecture of TiDB database
Identify the key features of TiDB Server, TiKV, and PD
Identify the TiDB Server features
Identify the PD features
Identify the TiKV features
Identify the TiFlash features
TiDB Server
Describe the TiDB Server architecture
Identify the functions of TiDB Server
Parse of SQL statements
Understand the modules related to SQL reads and writes
Understand the relational data and KV transformation
Online DDL
TiDB Server GC
Understand the memory control of TiDB
TiKV
Describe the architecture and features of TiKV
Understand the data persistence of TiKV
Identify Region features
Identify RocksDB features
Understand RocksDB writing process
Understand RocksDB query
Describe how TiKV provides MVCC and distributed transaction
MVCC
Distributed transactions
Understand the consistency of TiKV based on raft
Understand the Raft log replication
Understand the write to TiKV
Understand the read to TiKV
Coprocessor
PD（Placement Driver）
Describe the architecture and functions of PD
Understand the allocation of TSO
Understand the scheduling process
Scheduling: general process
Scheduling: information gathering
Scheduling: generating schedules
Understand the labels and high availability
Understand the Active PD Follower
High availability of TiDB
Understand the High availability characteristics of TiDB, TiKV, PD, TiFlash and TiProxy
Understand the High availability principle of TiDB base on Raft
Describe the deployment of three AZs
Understand the principle of DR Auto-Sync
TiDB Distributed eXecution Framework (DXF)
Describe the principle and functions of DXF
Understand how to use the DXF
TiDB Cloud
Describe the characters of different tiers of TiDB Cloud
Understand the architecture of different tiers of TiDB Cloud
02: Data Consolidation of TiDB
Resource control
Understand the resource group
Understand the RU
Identify the functions of Resource control
Understand how to use the Resource control
Runaway Query
Understand the function of Runaway Query
Understand how to use Runaway Query
Placement Rules in SQL
Describe the principle and functions of Placement Rules in SQL
Understand how to use Placement Rules in SQL
03: Management of TiDB
TiProxy
Describe the architecture and functions of Tiproxy
Understand the function of Tiproxy
FLASHBACK CLUSTER
Describe the functions of FLASHBACK CLUSTER
Metadata locks
Describe the principle and functions of Metadata locks
Understand how to use Metadata locks
TTL
Describe the principle and functions of TTL
Understand how to use TTL
04: Performance Management of TiDB
Global memory control of TiDB
Describe the principle and functions of global memory control
TiKV MVCC In-Memory Engine
Describe the architecture and functions of the In-Memory Engine
Understand how to use TiKV MVCC In-Memory Engine
Acceleration of ADD INDEX and CREATE INDEX
Describe the principle and functions of Parallel DDL framework
Global Sort
Describe the architecture and functions of the Global Sort
Understand how to use Global Sort
Schema Cache
Describe the principle and functions of Schema Cache
Understand how to use Schema Cache
Follower Read and Stale Read
Describe the principle and functions of Follower Read and Stale Read
Understand how to use the Follower Read and Stale Read
Top SQL
Describe the functions of Top SQL
05: HTAP of TiDB
TiFlash
Describe the architecture and features of TiFlash
Understand the MPP architecture
Features of TiFlash
Use FastScan to accelerate queries in OLAP scenarios
TiFlash late materialization
TiFlash Query Result Materialization
Runtime Filter
TiFlash Disaggregated Storage and Compute Architecture and S3 Support
7. Exam – TiDB Professional Database Administrator
This credential is designed to validate candidates’ proficiency in TiDB’s principles, large-scale TiDB clusters management as well as TiDB tools, such as TiDB Lightning, TiDB Data Migration, TiCDC, sync-diff-inspector and troubleshooting skills. To earn this certification, you can either purchase a seat by yourself or speak to your PingCAP Sales representative directly.
Exam Overview
Audience: Database administrator
Objective: To validate candidates’ proficiency in TiDB’s principles, large-scale TiDB clusters management as well as TiDB tools
Prerequisites: You have to pass the TiDB Associate certification exam.
Level: Professional
Price: $240 USD
Time Allotted: 80 minutes
Format: 50 questions that may be multiple choice, multiple response or ordering.
