Structured Query Language

The Structured Query Language (SQL) is a language that enables you to create and operate on relational databases, which are sets of related information stored in tables.

The database world is becoming increasingly integrated, and this has led to a clamour for a standard language that can be used to operate in many different kinds of computer environment. The SQL has proved to be standard language as it allows users to learn one set of commands and use it to create, retrieve, alter and transfer information regardless of whether they are working on a PC, a workstation, a mini, or a mainframe.

History
There are numerous versions of SQL. The original version was developed at IBM's San Jose Research Laboratory (now the Almanden Research Center). This language, originally called Sequel, was implemented as part of the System R project in early 1970s. The Sequel language has evolved since then, and its name has changed to SQL. In 1986, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) published an SQL standard that was updated again in 1992; latest ISO standard of SQL was released in 2008 and named as SQL:2008.