Understand the role
See what data engineers do in a data-driven organization, and how their work fits around others.
Partners and press
Overview
A pipeline you run by hand is a chore. This workshop teaches you to automate it.
Data Engineering, the fifth Hands-On Essentials badge, is free and self-paced and follows two colleagues who build data pipelines. Its labs cover date and time types, tasks, pipes and merge statements, and show what data engineers do day to day. Labs are auto-checked, the badge shows lab skills, not a SnowPro certification, and Snowflake advises Badges 1 to 4 first.
6Modules
8–12Hours
4Skills
8Roles
What it covers
Learn all the way down.
Learn all the way down.
Perform when it matters.
Handle dates and times
Work with date and time data types, which cause more pipeline bugs than most people expect.
Automate with tasks and pipes
Set up data pipelines and automate workflows using tasks and pipes.
Merge changes in
Use merge statements to bring new and changed records into a table in a real-world scenario.
Course outline
What a data engineer does,
What a data engineer does,
from date types to merged records.
We design this course ourselves. Snowflake issues the credential, and LUNARTECH is independent of Snowflake.
Data engineers make other people’s work possible. You see what the role covers, who relies on it, how it differs from analysis and science, and what a dependable pipeline looks like to the people downstream.
- What data engineers build and look after
- Who relies on a pipeline
- How the role differs from analysts and scientists
- What makes a pipeline dependable
You build A short description of one pipeline: its source, its users and what would go wrong if it failed.
Dates cause more pipeline bugs than most people expect. You work with Snowflake’s date, time and timestamp types, handle time zones, convert between formats, and calculate with intervals without losing rows.
- DATE, TIME and TIMESTAMP types
- The timestamp variants and time zones
- Parsing and formatting dates
- Date arithmetic and truncation
- Common date bugs and how to test for them
You build A query set that converts messy date strings and reports the rows that cannot be parsed.
A pipeline that waits for a person to start it is not automated. You create pipes that load files as they arrive, check what a pipe has done, and handle files that fail to load.
- What a pipe does
- Creating a pipe over a stage
- Checking pipe status and load history
- Files that fail and what to do about them
You build A pipe that loads newly arriving files into a table, with a check of what it loaded.
Loading is only the first step. You schedule tasks to transform data, chain them into dependent steps, and monitor runs so that a failure is noticed before the people downstream notice it.
- Creating and scheduling a task
- Chaining tasks into a graph
- Reading task history
- Handling task failures
- Suspending and resuming workflows
You build A two-step task chain that transforms newly loaded data on a schedule.
Source data changes after you have loaded it. You use MERGE to insert new rows, update changed ones and handle deleted ones in a single statement, and learn to test the result against known changes.
- Why inserts alone are not enough
- MERGE syntax: matched and not matched
- Updating and deleting with MERGE
- Duplicate keys and how MERGE reacts
- Testing a merge with known changes
You build A MERGE statement that keeps a target table in step with a changing source.
You build a complete small pipeline: files arrive, a pipe loads them, tasks transform them and a merge keeps the final table current. You then test it by sending in changed data.
- Planning the pipeline and its checks
- Loading with a pipe
- Transforming and merging with tasks
- Testing with changed and late data
- Documenting how to run and fix it
You build A working pipeline that loads, transforms and merges, with a short note on how to operate it.
Issued by
Certifying body · Independent of LUNARTECH
Snowflake
Snowflake makes the data platform these exams cover, and its education team runs the SnowPro program. Exams are delivered through Pearson VUE, at a test center or online, and a certification lasts two years. LUNARTECH is independent of Snowflake.
How you get there
Top-tier roles go to people who can do the work.
Top-tier roles go to people who can do the work.
Here’s how you get there.
Know where you start.
Snowflake advises earning Badges 1 to 4 first. Six months of hands-on Snowflake use can substitute for them.
Work through the course.
Six modules, designed by LUNARTECH, at your own pace.
Earn it with Snowflake.
Snowflake issues the credential, so you earn it directly with them.
Support
Support at every stage.
Support at every stage.
You won’t be working through this alone.
Before you start
Try it first.
A 3-day free trial opens a selection of the content. Your card is only charged once it ends.
While you learn
Mentors within reach.
Stuck on a concept? Reach out to a mentor whenever you need help.
While you learn
One-on-one sessions.
On the yearly plan, one-on-one sessions give you dedicated support.
Any time
A team behind you.
Write to info@lunartech.ai at any point, from your trial onwards. If your employer is funding you, we’ll set it up with them directly.
All the way through
A schedule that fits around your life.
Your own paceFrom anywhereAt any hour
After the last lesson
Stay in the network.
Your alumni network stays with you: ongoing support, opportunities and industry insight.
Career support
Career support, past the last lesson. Coaching, a sharper resume, real interview preparation and the people to know.
Career direction
Tailored coaching helps you decide where to aim and how to get there.
Strong portfolio
Hands-on projects become work you can show, not just claim.
Resume and profile
Personalized refinement, so what you send says what you can actually do.
Interview preparation
Preparation for the questions that decide it, so you walk in ready.
Network and search
Connections with industry leaders, and an alumni network that stays with you.
Reviews
Real stories from the community.
LUNARTECH Academy has been the most empowering learning experience of my life, giving me a clear, structured path from the absolute basics to building real-world AI systems with confidence.
Your page is fantastic. As a bachelor’s student in Data Science now accepted for a master’s at UConn, your work has been a real source of motivation.
The programme’s clear, bite-sized content and practical projects dramatically improved my speed from fuzzy idea to MVP and my ability to communicate AI value. I followed the system, and it works.
I really appreciate your teaching style and the way you break down complex topics. It has been incredibly helpful.
After years working mainly with R for econometrics, I found your Python machine learning course a refreshing and engaging way to learn Python.
As a Data Science graduate, I want to thank you for the effort you put into making videos to support growing data scientists.
I’ve been following your work since taking your machine learning course, and I’m impressed by your practical approach to applying AI.
Why choose us
Built around how you actually learn.
One standard behind every course, from the first lesson to long after the last.
Hands-on practice
Apply every idea to real problems, so it becomes something you have used, not only seen.
Industry-aligned curriculum
We keep courses current with the tools, techniques and skills the field asks for.
Flexible learning
Study at your own pace, from anywhere, at any hour.
Certificate of completion
Finish the course and earn a certificate that shows what you have learned.
Focus on your success
Personalized learning plans and support structures carry you through the hard parts.
Lifetime alumni network
Stay connected after you finish, with ongoing support, opportunities and industry insight.
Your certificate
It doesn’t raise its voice. Neither will you.
Finish a LUNARTECH course and its certificate is issued in your name, under our signature. Snowflake’s credential comes from Snowflake.
Certificate of completion
Your Name
Data Engineering course
LUNARTECH RISE Academy
Pricing
This course comes with the membership.
This course comes with the membership.
So does everything else.
One membership opens every course, certification, workshop and masterclass in the Academy. Every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. Snowflake issues the credential.
3 days free, then $29.97 a month. Your card is only charged once the trial ends.
Included in every plan
- Every course in the Academy
- Every certification course
- Workshops and masterclasses
- A certificate of completion
- A 3-day free trial
- Learning at your own pace
- The lifetime alumni network
- Upgrades at any time
In practice
Eight roles.
Eight roles.
One credential across them all.
No single job owns it. Here’s where each role leans hardest, and where its work ends up.
- 01The role
- 02Dates and times
- 03Tasks and pipes
- 04Merge
-
Pipelines should run without you watching. Tasks and pipes are how that starts.
The role, Tasks and pipes, Merge
Data engineering teams, Cloud data platforms
-
Reports go wrong when dates are handled loosely. Merge keeps tables current.
Dates and times, Merge
Analytics platforms, Automated reporting
-
Automation is cheaper than on-call manual work. The lab builds a small, working version.
Tasks and pipes
Cloud data platforms, Data engineering teams
-
Time zones and date types decide whether a daily total is right. Merge statements keep your source tables accurate.
Dates and times, Merge
Automated reporting, Analytics platforms
-
Your app’s writes reach reports through tasks and pipes. Automation replaces a nightly script you had to babysit.
Tasks and pipes, Merge
Data engineering teams, Cloud data platforms
-
Scheduled tasks refresh the numbers before the morning meeting. Date logic sets the reporting periods you publish.
Dates and times, Tasks and pipes
Automated reporting, Analytics platforms
-
Pipes load new files as they land, with no manual run. Merge applies inserts and updates in a single statement.
Tasks and pipes, Merge
Data engineering teams, Cloud data platforms
-
The role is as much about keeping jobs running as writing them. Tasks give you schedules and dependencies you can inspect.
The role, Tasks and pipes
Data engineering teams, Automated reporting
- Data engineering teams
- Analytics platforms
- Automated reporting
- Cloud data platforms
Data Engineer
Pipelines should run without you watching. Tasks and pipes are how that starts.
Over 10,000 students trust LUNARTECH
LUNARTECH gives you the skills
to learn, build, create and lead.
Engineers
Understand systems all the way down. Build the ones others rely on.
Scientists
Understand what the data says. Build models that hold up.
Researchers
Understand the papers. Build on them, and take the work further.
The field
Anyone can use AI.
Anyone can use AI.
Few can engineer it. This is where that starts.
+340%growth in open roles requiring AI skills
Roles and pay
~35,000 open roles right now
Open roles: Built In, Greenhouse, LinkedIn.
Typical salaries: Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, Payscale, Indeed, Ravio, JobRise, U.S. BLS. Military: 2026 U.S. basic pay, drone officers with aviation incentive pay.
Updated November 2026.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Need help? These answers cover most of what people ask before they start.
No. Snowflake issues it. LUNARTECH is independent of Snowflake, and its names and marks belong to it. When you finish a course of ours, you earn a LUNARTECH certificate of completion for that course.
No. We design this course ourselves, around what the credential covers. Snowflake has no part in it, and you still earn the credential directly with Snowflake.
8–12 hours, online, self-paced.
Snowflake advises earning Badges 1 to 4 first. Six months of hands-on Snowflake use can substitute for them.
We last reviewed it on 5 November 2026, from Snowflake’s own pages. Details change, so check the official page before you book.
Our 3-day free trial gives you access to a selection of content in the bootcamps, courses and materials, so you can experience the value of our content first-hand. This includes comprehensive learning materials and interactive sessions. You won’t be charged during this period, though we require your credit card details at the start to ensure a seamless transition should you choose to continue.
Yes, entering your credit card details is a necessary step to begin your free trial. The process is entirely secure, and we ask for it to provide a seamless transition to a paid subscription if you decide to continue beyond the trial. You will only be charged after the trial period ends, with full access to our content based on the plan you choose.
After your 3-day free trial you gain access to the full breadth of our content, depending on the subscription plan you choose. We offer free trials for our monthly, bi-annual and annual plans, and each plan provides a different scope of access and benefits.
If your employer has agreed to fund your learning, in part or in full, please contact us at info@lunartech.ai. We’ll work with you and your employer to set up everything needed for your subscription.
Yes. Our support remains strong both during your free trial and after you subscribe. Reach the team at info@lunartech.ai with any question, whether you’re onboarding, navigating your trial, or need help as a member. Subscribers to the yearly plan also receive dedicated support in one-on-one sessions.
You can upgrade your plan at any time during your subscription. Downgrading is not available for bi-annual or annual plans, but you can cancel and then choose a new plan that suits you better. For bi-annual and annual plans we also offer payment in instalments; please reach out to learn more.
The course
Build the skills behind Data Engineering.
Show you can set up and automate a Snowflake data pipeline. Start with a free trial, or enroll in a plan and work through the course at your own pace. Snowflake issues the credential.
LUNARTECH is independent of the vendors and certifying bodies listed here. Their names, exam titles and marks belong to them, exams are run by them, and credentials are issued by them. Reviewed 5 November 2026. Catalogues change often, so confirm the details on the official page before you book.
