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 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 well—provide you with a simple and efficient way to read and write data from a database.
What are the advantages of SQL?
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SQL is not a proprietary language used by specific database vendors. Almost every major DBMS supports SQL, so learning this one language will enable you to interact with just about every database you'll run into.
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SQL is easy to learn. The statements are all made up of descriptive English words, and there aren't that many of them.
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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.
And with that, let's learn SQL.