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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 such as English, or programming languages such as Java or Visual Basic), SQL is made up of very few words. This is deliberate. SQL is designed to do one thing and do it wellprovide 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 specific database vendors. Almost every major DBMS supports SQL, so learning this one language enables you to interact with just about every database you'll run into.

  • SQL is easy to learn. The statements are all made up of descriptive English words, and there aren't that many of them.

  • Despite its apparent simplicity, SQL is actually a very powerful language, and by cleverly using its language elements you can perform very complex and sophisticated database operations.

Note

DBMS-Specific SQL Although SQL is not a proprietary language and there is a standards committee which tries to define SQL syntax that can be used by all DBMSs, the reality is that no two DBMSs implement SQL identically. The SQL taught in this book is specific to MySQL, and while much of the language taught will be usable with other DBMSs, do not assume complete SQL syntax portability.



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