What is Structured Query Language (SQL)?

SQL stands for Structured Query Language and is a programming language used to communicate with and manipulate databases. To get the most out of the amount of data collected, many companies need to be familiar with SQL.

SQL programs are introduced by companies and other organizations as a way to access and manipulate information and data stored in databases and create and modify new tables. In order to fully understand SQL, it is important to first know exactly what the database is.

According to Microsoft, databases are tools for collecting and organizing information. Databases can contain information about people, products, orders, and more. Many databases start with word processing programs and spreadsheets, but as they grow in size it is useful to transfer them to a database created by a database management system.

SQL is used to control the information in these databases. This allows users to get the specific data they are looking for when they need it. This is a simple programming language, but SQL is also very powerful. According to the website Database Dir, SQL can insert data into database tables, modify data in existing database tables, and delete data from SQL database tables. In addition, SQL can modify the database structure itself by creating, modifying, and deleting tables and other database objects.

According to Database Dir, SQL uses a series of commands to manipulate data in the database. Examples include the SQL INSERT used to add data to a database table, the SQL SELECT command to retrieve data from a database table, and the SQL UPDATE to modify an existing database record.

MySQL

Rather than trying to write SQL for their own databases, many companies use a database management system that already includes SQL. MySQL, developed and distributed by Oracle, is one of the most popular SQL database management systems available today. This software is an open source version, so you can download it and use it for free.

According to the web hosting service GoDaddy, MySQL is a high-performance, powerful relational database that is used by many websites to create and modify content quickly.

“For example, many blogs and bulletin boards use a MySQL database in combination with Web scripting languages ​​(PHP, Perl, Python),” GoDaddy writes on their Web site.

According to TechTerms.com, MySQL can be used for a variety of applications, but it is commonly found on web servers.

“Web sites that use MySQL may contain Web pages that access information from a database,” writes TechTerms. “These pages are often called” dynamic “and the content of each page is generated from the database when the page loads. Websites that use dynamic web pages are often referred to as database-driven websites. ”

Currently, many of the world’s largest and most famous brands, such as Facebook, Google, Adobe, Alcatel Lucent, Zappos, etc., rely on MySQL to make their websites work properly.

Besides MySQL, there are many other open source SQL database management systems, such as PostgreSQL, Ingres, Firebird, etc.

In the business sector, SQL is used to manage large amounts of data. Teradata is a common cliented sided SQL interpreter used to manage thousands of tables. Combine SQL and digital finance and you get automation at an astronomical scale.