SQL stands for Structured Query Language and is a domain-specific programming language used for managing data held in a relational database management system (RDBMS) or for stream processing in a relational data stream management system (RDSMS) . It is a standardized programming language that is used to manage relational databases and perform various operations on the data in them. SQL is particularly useful in handling structured data, i.e., data incorporating relations among entities and variables.
Some key features of SQL include:
- SQL is a set-based, declarative programming language, not an imperative programming language like C or BASIC.
- SQL can create views in a database and set permissions on tables, procedures, and views.
- SQL commands are divided into categories such as DDL, DML, DCL, and TCL.
- SQL is used for modifying database table and index structures, adding, updating, and deleting rows of data, and performing analytical queries.
SQL is used by data analysts and developers because it integrates well with different programming languages. SQL is an interactive question language, and users type SQL instructions into an interactive SQL software to retrieve facts and show them on the screen, presenting a convenient, easy-to-use device for ad hoc database queries. Programmers embed SQL instructions into their utility packages to access the facts in a database. SQL is also a client/server language, and personal computer programs use SQL to communicate over a network with database servers that save shared facts.
