What is SQL? Explain with query example
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language used for managing and manipulating relational databases. It allows users to interact with databases by querying and manipulating data. Let's illustrate SQL with a simple query example:
Consider a database with a table named "Employees" that stores information about employees in a company. The table has the following columns: "EmployeeID," "FirstName," "LastName," "Department," and "Salary."
To retrieve the names of all employees in the "Sales" department, you can use the following SQL query:
SELECT FirstName, LastName
FROM Employees
WHERE Department = 'Sales';
Let's break down the query:
SELECT: The SELECT statement specifies the columns you want to retrieve from the database. In this case, we want to retrieve the "FirstName" and "LastName" columns.
FROM: The FROM clause indicates the table from which the data will be retrieved. In this case, we want to retrieve data from the "Employees" table.
WHERE: The WHERE clause is used to specify conditions for filtering the data. Here, we want to retrieve employees only from the "Sales" department, so we specify Department = 'Sales' as the condition.
The result of this query will be a list of the first names and last names of all employees in the "Sales" department.
Here's an example of how the result might look:
FirstName | LastName
---------------------
John | Doe
Jane | Smith
This is a basic example of an SQL query. SQL provides a wide range of capabilities, including complex queries involving joins, aggregations, sorting, and more. SQL is not only used for querying data but also for inserting, updating, and deleting data, creating and modifying database schemas, managing permissions, and performing other database-related tasks.
The specific syntax and features of SQL can vary slightly between different database management systems, but the core concepts and functionality remain consistent.