Features of SQL

SQL is both an easy-to-understand language and a comprehensive tool for managing data. Here are some of the major features of SQL and the market forces that have made it successful:

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Vendor independence Portability across computer systems SQL standards IBM endorsement and commitment (DB2) Microsoft commitment (SQL Server, ODBC, and ADO) Relational foundation High-level, English-like structure Interactive, ad hoc queries Programmatic database access Multiple views of data Complete database language Dynamic data definition Client/server architecture

Vendor Independence
SQL is offered by all of the leading DBMS vendors, and no new database product over the last decade has been highly successful without SQL support. A SQL-based database and the programs that use it can be moved from one DBMS to another vendors DBMS with minimal conversion effort and little retraining of personnel. Database tools, such as query tools, report writers, and application generators, work with many different brands of SQL databases. The vendor independence thus provided by SQL was one of the most important reasons for its early popularity and remains an important feature today.

Portability Across Computer Systems

SQL-based database products run on computer systems ranging from mainframes and midrange systems to personal computers, workstations, a wide range of specialized server computers, and even handheld devices. They operate on stand-alone computer systems, in departmental local area networks, and in enterprisewide or Internetwide networks. SQL-based applications that begin on single-user or departmental server systems can be moved to larger server systems as they grow. Data from corporate SQL-based databases can be extracted and downloaded into departmental or personal databases. Finally, economical personal computers can be used to prototype a SQL-based database application before moving it to an expensive multiuser system.

SQL Standards
An official standard for SQL was initially published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Standards Organization (ISO) in 1986, and was expanded in 1989 and again in 1992 and 1999. SQL is also a U.S. Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), making it a key requirement for large government computer contracts. Over the years, other international, government, and vendor groups have pioneered the standardization of new SQL capabilities, such as call-level interfaces or object-based extensions.

IBM Endorsement and Commitment (DB2)

SQL was originally invented by IBM researchers and has since become a strategic product for IBM based on its flagship DB2 database. SQL support is available on all major IBM product families, from personal computers through midrange systems (AS/400 and UNIX-based servers) to IBM mainframes. IBMs initial work provided a clear signal of IBMs direction for other database and system vendors to follow early in the development of SQL and relational databases. Later, IBMs commitment and broad support speeded the market acceptance of SQL. IBMs SQL reach today extends well beyond its own computer systems business.

Microsoft Commitment (SQL Server, ODBC, and ADO)

Microsoft has long considered database access a key part of its Windows personal computer software architecture. Both desktop and server versions of Windows provide standardized relational database access through Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), a SQL-based call-level API. Leading Windows software applications (spreadsheets, word processors, databases, etc.) from Microsoft and other vendors support ODBC, and all leading SQL databases provide ODBC access. Microsoft has enhanced ODBC support with higher-level, more object-oriented database access layers as part of its Object Linking and Embedding technology (OLE DB), and more recently as part of Active/X (Active/X Data Objects, or ADO). When Microsoft began its effort in the late 1980s to make Windows a viable server operating system, it introduced SQL Server as its own SQL-based offering. SQL Server continues today as a flagship Microsoft product, and a key component of its .NET architecture for web services.

Relational Foundation
SQL is a language for relational databases, and it has become popular along with the relational database model. The tabular, row/column structure of a relational database is intuitive to users, keeping the SQL language simple and easy to understand. The re lational model also has a strong

theoretical foundation that has guided the evolution and implementation of relational databases. Riding a wave of acceptance brought about by the success of the relational model, SQL has become the database language for relational databases.

High-Level, English-Like Structure

SQL statements look like simple English sentences, making SQL easy to learn and understand. This is in part because SQL statements describe the data to be retrieved, rather than specifying how to find the data. Tables and columns in a SQL database can have long, descriptive names. As a result, most SQL statements say what they mean and can be read as clear, natural sentences.

Interactive, Ad Hoc Queries

SQL is an interactive query language that gives users ad hoc access to stored data. Using SQL interactively, a user can get answers even to complex questions in minutes or seconds, in sharp contrast to the days or weeks it would take for a programmer to write a custom report program. Because of SQLs ad hoc query power, data is more accessible and can be used to help an organization make better, more informed decisions. SQLs ad hoc query capability was an important advantage over nonrelational databases early in its evolution and more recently has continued as a key advantage over pure object -based databases.

Programmatic Database Access

SQL is also a database language used by programmers to write applications that access a database. The same SQL statements are used for both interactive and program matic access, so the database access parts of a program can be tested first with interactive SQL and then embedded into the program. In contrast, traditional databases provided one set of tools for programmatic access and a separate query facility for ad hoc requests, without any synergy between the two modes of access.

Multiple Views of Data

Using SQL, the creator of a database can give different users of the database different views of its structure and contents. For example, the database can be constructed so that each user sees data only for his or her department or sales region. In addition, data from several different parts of the database can be combined and presented to the user as a simple row/column table. SQL views can thus be used to enhance the security of a database and tailor it to the particular needs of individual users.

Complete Database Language

SQL was first developed as an ad hoc query language, but its powers now go far beyond data retrieval. SQL provides a complete, consistent language for creating a database, managing its security, updating its contents, retrieving data, and sharing data among many concurrent users. SQL concepts that are learned in one part of the language can be applied to other SQL commands, making users more productive.

Dynamic Data Definition

Using SQL, the structure of a database can be changed and expanded dynamically, even while users are accessing database contents. This is a major advance over static data definition languages, which prevented access to the database while its structure was being changed. SQL thus provides maximum flexibility, allowing a database to adapt to changing requirements while online applications continue uninterrupted.

Client/Server Architecture
SQL is a natural vehicle for implementing applications using a distributed, client/ server architecture. In this role, SQL serves as the link between front-end computer systems optimized for user interaction and back-end systems specialized for database management, allowing each system to do what it does best. SQL also allows personal computers to function as front-ends to network servers or to larger minicomputer and mainframe databases, providing access to corporate data from personal computer applications.