SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standard language used for accessing and manipulating databases.
- SQL became a standard of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in 1986, and of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1987
What can SQL do?
SQL is a powerful tool for managing databases. It allows you to:
- Execute queries to retrieve data.
- Insert, update, and delete records.
- Create new databases and tables.
- Create stored procedures and views.
- Set permissions on tables, procedures, and views.
How to use SQL
To use SQL, you need a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) installed, such as MySQL (via XAMPP), MS Access, or SQL Server.
For web development:
- Use a server-side language like PHP or ASP to fetch data from the database.
- Display the data using HTML/CSS for styling.
RDBMS (Relational Database Management System)
Before learning SQL, it’s important to understand relational databases and how they work.
A relational database is a type of database that organizes data into tables with rows and columns, where data points are related to each other through predefined relationships
- A relational database organizes data into tables with rows and columns. Data points are linked through predefined relationships.
- RDBMS stands for Relational Database Management System, the software that manages relational databases. Popular RDBMSs include MS SQL Server, IBM DB2, Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft Access.
In an RDBMS, data is stored in tables, which consist of columns (attributes) and rows (records).
SQL Hands-On Lab
Get hands-on experience with SQL through our online SQL editor. You can practice editing and executing various SQL statements.
Try It Out!
select * from <table>;