What is Structured Query Language (SQL)?
SQL (pronounced “sequel” or “ess que ell”) stands for Structured Query Language, which is used to communicate with a database. It is the most common language for relational database management systems and is used by tens of millions of people worldwide. SQL is used to retrieve (query) or process and manipulate datasets in a SQL engine or SQL database. The ANSI SQL specification was first defined in 1986 and has been slowly updated and evolved over the years as new data and programming paradigms have emerged.
SQL helps retrieve the data necessary to perform analysis or to create new datasets for a wide variety of uses. SQL is adept at handling large amounts of data, such as when there is a lot of data being written at the same time and there are massive amounts of transactions. SQL is often used for querying databases, creating and deleting records and record updates.