What Is SQL?
SQL stands for Structured Query Language, which is a programming language used to communicate with relational databases.
The acronym is pronounced like the word sequel, but some people will just use the three letters S, Q, and L.
Although there were precursors to the Sequel Programming Languages as early as the 1960s, relational databases didn’t hit the market until the 1980s.
In 1979, Oracle became the first to incorporate an SQL language into its relational database construct.
SQL does have its distracters who consider it to be too slow and lacks the eloquence of other programming languages.
Despite its critics, SQL has become the standard language for querying and manipulating data stored in a relational database.
What Is a Database?
Databases are designed to hold massive amounts of data that can be accessed by multiple users simultaneously.
There are different database types, depending on data storage.
For example, distributed databases are located on multiple computers occupying the same physical space or spread over multiple locations.
Relational databases store data in tables consisting of columns and rows similar to a spreadsheet.
Spreadsheets allow for simple manipulation of stored data, while relational databases with the help of SQL allow for complex manipulation of the data.
Relational databases are the most used technology for accessing structured data.
How to Use SQL
Data is everywhere. According to the World Economic Forum, there will be 44 zettabytes of data in the digital world in 2020.
Where will most of that data be stored? Databases. Without SQL, those bytes of data would be meaningless. So, what industries maintain volumes of data?
Financial Industry
Banks maintain information on every transaction processed through their system. Credit bureaus have records of mortgages, credit cards, and student loans, along with a myriad of data reported to them from other agencies.
Insurance companies keep records of policies, payments, claims, and sensitive personal information. All of this data is in databases that use the highest level of security within the SQL language.
E-Commerce
Behind the web-based storefronts are databases that supply information on the products or services of an eCommerce Mobile App Technologies merchant.
In addition to individual product descriptions, merchants maintain customer buying history and shopping preferences.
Using the information in a database, merchants provide online recommendations and promotions.
