SQL fundamentals to advanced querying
Grain, filtering, aggregation, joins, CTEs, and window functions taught against realistic program data.
We help your county's data answerwhat's happening now — and what's coming next.
California Human Services Reporting Academy
Better Data. Better Decisions. Stronger Communities.
↓ Watch the philosophy video
Specialized training for California Health and Human Services database reporting professionals — a structured roadmap from SQL fundamentals through Oracle APEX interactive reporting to Power BI data modeling, with an in-browser query sandbox on synthetic Medi-Cal and public health data, hands-on labs, cheat sheets, and an AI Trainer for feedback.
- Modules in the roadmap
- 4Modules in the roadmap
- Guided lessons
- 12Guided lessons
- Hands-on labs
- 7Hands-on labs
- Years of instructor experience
- 30+Years of instructor experience
Meet Ask Vic
Your AI mentor for the Academy. Ask Vic coaches you through clarifying reporting questions, explains CalSAWS concepts, and helps you debug SQL, design Oracle APEX reports, and structure Power BI models — the way a veteran California Health and Human Services analyst would.
Ask Vic a questionThree tracks, one progression
Oracle APEX interactive reporting
Interactive reports and grids, bind variables, faceted search, and report design that program staff can actually use.
Power BI modeling and dashboards
Star schemas, DAX filter context, accessible visual design, and row-level security for departmental reporting.
Popular learning paths
Core reporting skills plus California-specific system tracks for county Health and Human Services agencies.
CalSAWS Database Reporting
Practical reporting instruction for California's statewide automated welfare system.
SQL Foundations
Query structure, filtering, grouping, and joins built on realistic health and human services data.
Oracle APEX Interactive Reporting
Interactive reports, interactive grids, and report design patterns for county program staff.
Meet your instructor
About the founder
I am a Data Management, Data Architecture, Business Intelligence, and Analytics professional with more than 30 years of experience designing, developing, implementing, and supporting enterprise data systems and reporting solutions.
My career spans multiple industries, with extensive specialization in California Health and Human Services systems — from County Data Systems (CDS) through CalWIN to today's CalSAWS environment, as well as CWS/CMS. My professional interests and expertise also extend into AI, Agentic AI, Machine Learning, Neural Networks, Data Mining, and Data Governance, with a focus on practical, responsible business applications.
County consulting
- Orange County — approx. 16.5 years
- San Diego County — approx. 18 years
- Marin County — approx. 1 year
Teaching
Database concepts and database reporting through programs associated with UC Davis, UC San Francisco, UC San Diego, California State University, Fresno, and California State University, San Bernardino, plus specialized training for county clients and technical professionals.
Industry
Worked with or collaborated with Northrop Grumman, Deloitte, Oracle, HP, IBM, CGI, EY, MS Data, Pennant Alliance, and Intatek PC.
One of my greatest professional strengths is the ability to take complicated database structures, relationships, SQL concepts, technical terminology, and reporting requirements and explain them in practical, understandable terms.
Why the Academy
The Academy is not simply about learning SQL. It teaches analysts how to think like report writers — the discipline behind every number that reaches a program manager, a board, or the public.
- Understand the business question before writing a single line of SQL.
- Understand the database: tables, relationships, keys, and grain.
- Identify the appropriate tables and the relationships that connect them.
- Work correctly with historical, effective-dated, and temporal data.
- Validate results against known counts, business rules, and program logic.
- Turn raw data into information decision makers can trust.
Looking ahead
Preparing for an AI-Driven Future
AI is the future of data analysis and reporting. But as AI becomes more powerful, understanding the data behind the AI becomes more important than ever.
AI can generate SQL, discover patterns, summarize large datasets, and produce sophisticated reports rapidly. However, an answer is not necessarily correct simply because it sounds convincing.
In complex Health and Human Services databases, accurate reporting depends on understanding relationships between tables, business rules, effective dates, historical records, program logic, data quality, and the meaning behind individual data elements.
Without that knowledge, AI can produce misleading results through incorrect assumptions, incomplete context, algorithmic bias, or hallucinations. The next generation of report writers therefore needs the ability to question, validate, and verify AI-generated results against the underlying data and business reality.
“It is not about competing with AI. It is about understanding the data well enough to know when AI is right — and when it isn't.”
AI is here now, and AI will lead us into the future. We should not position ourselves to dismiss it — we have to master prompting and engage in a dialogue, rather than question-and-answers that return generic responses.
Privacy by design. Every dataset in the sandbox is synthetic. No real beneficiary, provider, or case information is stored, and learners are reminded never to paste confidential records into the sandbox or Ask Vic.