Preface:

In our daily lives, we use a large number of apps, gadgets and devices. A lot of data is generated every second. SQL provides a standard way to process such data. In this article, I’ll explain to you what SQL is and how it evolved.

This article will cover the following topics:

Problems with traditional file systems

Since the beginning of the computer age, data storage has been one of the major concerns of people. Previously, we used to store data in file-based systems, which led to mismanagement of data. Despite its seemingly well-organized appearance, it has its own inherent flaws:

1. Data redundancy

Duplicate data exists when the same data is stored in different places on our computer system. In a file system, there is no real-time check for duplicate files. This increases the size of the structure and leads to a lack of safety features. As a result, file systems are inherently vulnerable.

2. Limited data sharing and lack of security

Data sharing is closely related to security, and sharing data among geographically dispersed users poses many security risks. Built-in file system programs provide basic security for spreadsheet data and other documents, but are rarely used or even known about.

In creating data management and reporting programs, security and data sharing capabilities are often left unlocked and therefore generally ignored in a file system environment. These include effective password protection, the ability to lock parts of files or parts of the system itself, and other measures designed to protect data confidentiality. Even when they are used, they are not sufficient for reliable data sharing between users.

3. Difficulty with quick answers

Another important problem in traditional file environment systems is that it is difficult to get a quick answer because it requires more AD hoc queries, more programs to process, and therefore, timely response.

4. Data dependency

In a file system, files and records consist of specific physical formats that are encoded into applications by programmers. If any of the record formats are changed, then we need to ensure that all remaining record formats are updated. This information must also be updated in the system. Any change to the storage structure or access method can significantly affect the processing or results of an application.

Because of all these shortcomings and other limitations, a new technology needed to be implemented, and SQL was born.

The development of SQL

SQL was developed by donaldchamberlin and Raymond df Boyce at IBM in the 1970s. It was originally called SEQUEL, but was later changed to SQL. The name was changed because SEQUEL is the name of a UK engineering company. In SQL, data is stored as a relationship. This relationship theory was put forward by Boyce and Chamberlin.

It wasn’t until several years later that the SQL language was exposed. The first company to release a modified version of SQL was Relational Software, Inc. (now Oracle), which called Oracle V2. Since then, THE American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Standards Organization have adopted SQL as the standard language for relational database communication. Today, SQL is recognized as the standard language for relational database management systems.

So, what is SQL?

Structured Query LanguageStructuredQueryLanguage (SQL) is pronounced “s-q-l” or sometimes “seequel”, which is the standard language for dealing with relational databases. Let’s take another practical example to see what SQL really is.

If two people want to communicate with each other, they must use some kind of language that they both understand. If we consider these two people, one as a user and the other as a database, the language used to communicate between the two is called SQL. Similarly, how a language has syntax and various rules to guide its use, even SQL has its own instructions.

SQL is effectively used to insert, search, update, delete, and modify database records. That doesn’t mean SQL can’t do more than that. In fact, it can do a lot more.

Now that we know what SQL is, let’s look at its processing capabilities:

  • DDL (Data Definition Language) provides SQL commands for defining, deleting, and modifying relational schemas.
  • Data processing language DML provides a query language based on relational algebra and tuple calculus.
  • Embedded DML is used for general-purpose programming languages.
  • The DDL contains commands to define views.
  • The DDL command is used to specify access permissions to relationships and views.
  • SQL provides integrity checking.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular basic queries in SQL.

Create database: The syntax for this database is

create Database database_name;
Copy the code

Delete created database:

drop Database database_name;
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Create tables in the database

create Table table_name;
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Delete a previously existing table

drop Table table_name;
Copy the code

So, if you want to learn more about SQL queries, take a look at my article on SQL basics to help you get started

The advantage of SQL

Now that we know all about SQL, it’s time to look at its benefits. 1. SQL has well-defined standards

As it says, SQL developers have mentioned how to write each query, where there is no room for ambiguity and standards must be followed.

2. Easy to learn

SQL is a language for working with databases, and because SQL has a large user base and well-defined standards, it is really easy for beginners to learn.

In SQL, we can create multiple views

This is one of the unique and early features of SQL. A view just creates a virtual table. A virtual table is a temporary table that is used for some purpose.

SQL queries are portable

This means that we can execute SQL queries on one system and execute the same query on another without changing the format. The condition is that the environment Settings of these systems must be the same, otherwise the query will not be executed

5. It is an interactive language

The primary purpose of SQL is to communicate with the database, and we can write complex queries to get results from the database that can be easily understood by anyone.

Now, let’s look at some of its real-time applications

Real-time SQL

Since SQL is a language for operating on databases, we need to look at the big picture of the data management industry, which includes SQL as well as databases. Database can be used in many industries, such as e-commerce, medicine, clubs, libraries, video websites, beauty salons, travel agencies, operators, government agencies and so on.

1. Finance

Managing money, assets, stocks, etc., in real time is a tedious task. SQL and database technologies are helping financial departments accomplish their primary tasks. SQL queries can also be used to detect fraudulent activity. 2. Education Department

In schools, colleges and universities, database systems are often used to store and retrieve data about student details, faculty details, course details, exam details, payroll data, attendance details, cost details, etc., which requires efficient storage and retrieval of a large number of interrelated data.

3. Healthcare sector

Maintaining data related to doctors, patients, and staff in hospitals and healthcare facilities is a huge task that must be handled seamlessly with effective coordination among the three, and the industry has grown greatly with the help of SQL and databases.

4. Retail

In retail, customer data must be managed effectively. There are no errors when processing data. With the help of SQL and database systems, the retail industry can not only ensure data security, but also carry out real-time analysis.