What Is the Purpose of SQL?
SQL is short for Structured Query Language. It is a standard programming language used in the management of data stored in a relational database management system. It supports distributed databases, offering users great flexibility.
SQL allows users to access data stored in a relational database management system. Users can create and delete databases, as well as set permissions on database tables, views and procedures. It also allows users to manipulate the data within a database.
In SQL, there are two main sets of commands that are used to create and modify databases. These are the Data Definition Language and the Data Manipulation Language. The former contains commands used to develop and delete databases and its objects, and the latter contains commands used to insert, modify and delete data stored in a database.
SQL language is divided into several elements: clauses, expressions, predicates, queries and statements. SQL queries are the most essential and common SQL operations. An SQL query helps users retrieve needed data from a database, and it is executed using the ‘Select’ statement.
SQL was developed in the early 1970s by Donald D. Chamberlin and Raymond F. Boyce, who were part of a research group at the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
