Lee Markum helps out people new to SQL Server:
I see a lot of questions on data related Reddit forums and data science groups on LinkedIn about how to get started with SQL. Certainly these people mean that they want to learn the SQL language. I don’t think you can do that long term without setting up a home lab. You need your own place to experiment beyond what you can do in an online tutorial where you’re typing into a web browser, for example.
By the time you finish this post, you will be able to install SQL Server for use as a home lab for learning T-SQL and administration of the server environment.
Click through for a step-by-step guide. There’s a lot to learn after walking through this guide but you’ve got to start somewhere.