Abbreviation of
structured query language, and pronounced either
see-kwell or as separate letters. SQL is a standardized
query language for requesting information from a
database. The original version called
SEQUEL (
structured English query language) was designed by an
IBM research center in 1974 and 1975. SQL was first introduced as a commercial
database system in 1979 by Oracle Corporation.
Historically, SQL has been the favorite query language for database management systems running on minicomputers and mainframes. Increasingly, however, SQL is being supported by PC database systems because it supports distributed databases (databases that are spread out over several computer systems). This enables several users on a local-area network to access the same database simultaneously.
Although there are different dialects of SQL, it is nevertheless the closest thing to a standard query language that currently exists. In 1986, ANSI approved a rudimentary version of SQL as the official standard, but most versions of SQL since then have included many extensions to the ANSI standard. In 1991, ANSI updated the standard. The new standard is known as SAG SQL.
