Developed at IBM in the early 1970s, SQL is an acronym for Structured Query Language, and it is used to manage data stored in a relational database.
Originally known as SEQUEL (Structured English Query Language), the language was designed to manipulate and retrieve data stored in IBM's System R, its quasi-relational database management system. The name was shortened to SQL because SEQUEL was trademarked by a UK company.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, IBM developed a number of commercial products using their System R prototype. In the late 1970s, Relational Software, now known as Oracle Corporation, developed its own SQL-based RDMS for the US Navy, Central Intelligence Agency, and other government agencies, releasing the first commercial implementation of SQL, known as Oracle V2. ANSI and ISO standards for the language were adopted by 1986, and new versions of the standard were adopted in 1989, 1992, 1996, 2003, 2008, 2011, and 2016.
The sole purpose of SQL is to query data contained in a relational database. It is not an imperative programming language, like C or BASIC; rather, it is set-based and declarative.
Extensions have been written to add procedural programming language functionality to Standard SQL. Oracle's extension is PL/SQL. Others include ABAP, Mimer SQL, NZPLSQL, PL/PGSQL, PostgreSQL, PSQL, SPL, SQL PL, SQL/PSM, SQLScript, SSP, T-SQL, and Watcom-SQL, although some of these include several other features, as well, and are more than an extension of SQL.
The various implementations of SQL do not necessarily follow the full standards, and may be incompatible with one another, although Mime SQL and PostgreSQL come close.
The focus of this guide is in the SQL programming language and may include close implementations of the language, although some of these implementations are full programming languages, in their own right, and will be categorized separately. Additionally, any tools designed to facilitate programming in SQL are appropriate in this category, as are any SQL user groups, forums, tutorials, guides, or other resources.
Categories
PL/SQL |
Recommended Resources
Structured Query Language (SQL) is used to modify and access data or information from a database. This beginner online training program teaches the basics of SQL code, teaching students to write and program SQL queries. Although specific to SQL, the concepts included in the tutorial can be applied to most database systems. Beginning with an introduction to SQL and SQL database design, the site discusses database tables, table columns, table rows, and coding functions.
https://www.beginner-sql-tutorial.com/
Designed to help programmers and IT professionals, familiar with programming and with databases, but unfamiliar with Structured Query Language (SQL) to learn the language well enough to be able to use it in their everyday work, not to make them a professional in SQL but to give them a starting point for further learning. The online tutorial uses a combination of text and video to teach users how to put into practice various SQL causes, SQL commands, SQL statements, and SQL operators.
http://www.sqlclauses.com/
Offering interactive online training for beginners in SQL, the site includes an online interpreter for practicing SQL commands, offering immediate results for practice. The online interpreter allows users to perform selects, inserts, updates, deletes, and drops on their tables, using the SQLite database engine. Other topics include a tutorial of SQL instructions and sample code, demonstrating various SQL functions, each including an online interpreter for practice purposes.
http://www.sql-easy.com/
Structured Query Language is a database language providing a means of data manipulation and database creation. The online tutorial includes a downloadable SQL cheat sheet in PDF format, while the online tutorial teaches commonly used SQL commands, allowing students to apply most of the knowledge gathered here to several dialects of SQL, but particularly Standard SQL. The site’s content includes a table of contents, as well as an SQL video tutorial and other resources.
http://www.sql-tutorial.net/
The online tutorial offers instructions on SQL, as well as opportunities to practice the instructions presented, using the online SQL interpreter, which offers immediate results after the student submits the SQL commands. Students are also prompted to create their own unique tables, as well as to perform selects, inserts, updates, deletes, and drops into their tables. The basics of each SQL command is covered in the tutorial, which supports a subset of ANSI SQL.
http://www.sqlcourse.com/
SQLite is a C-language library that implements a small, self-contained, full-featured SQL database engine. The file format of SQLite is stable, cross-platform, and backward-compatible. In the public domain, the source code and files may be downloaded from the site. Its features and uses are highlighted, along with instructions on getting started. A brief tutorial covers SQL syntax, C/C++ interface specifications, and TCL interface specifications. Professional extensions products are available.
https://sqlite.org/
Transact-SQL (T-SQL) is a set of programming extensions from Sybase and Microsoft that add transaction control, exception and error handling, row processing, and declared variables to SQL. The online tutorial is intended for beginning and advanced developers, as it covers the basics of the T-SQL language, from simple operations to more advanced operations, including examples from Standard SQL as well as the Microsoft T-SQL extension, and related topics.
https://www.tsql.info/
Targeted toward web developers, W3Schools offers online tutorials and references on web development languages, like CSS, HTML, Java, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, SQL, and others. Its tutorial on SQL features an SQL quiz, references for SQL keywords and functions, and data types, as well as examples and instruction in SQL, the SQL database, SQL references, and SQL examples. Besides its online instructional materials, W3Schools offers an online certification program in SQL.
https://www.w3schools.com/sql/
