What Is SQL?

SQL (pronounced as the letters S-Q-L or as sequel) is an abbreviation for Structured Query Language. SQL is a language designed specifically for communicating with databases.

Unlike other languages (spoken languages like English, or programming languages like C or Visual Basic), SQL is made up of very few words. This is deliberate. SQL is designed to do one thing and do it well—provide you with a simple and efficient way to read and write data from a database.

What are the advantages of SQL?

  • SQL is not a proprietary language used by individual database vendors. Almost every major database supports SQL, so learning this one language will enable you to interact with almost every major database out there.

  • SQL is easy to learn. The statements ...

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