SQL

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. SQL is a programming language used to communicate with relational databases. SQL statements are used to perform tasks such as updating data in a database or retrieving data from a database.

Most databases use SQL, but many also have extensions to execute commands that can only be used for a specific database. Nevertheless, with the standard SQL statements - SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and CREATE (the statements are typed in uppercase) - you can do virtually everything with any database.

What can you do with SQL?

As mentioned earlier, it is a programming language used to communicate with relational databases. With SQL, it is possible to query the database in various ways using English-language statements. It is used on websites for backend data storage and processing (for example, Facebook also uses SQL).

In addition to Facebook, you can assume that SQL is used within other applications such as music and banking apps and other social media platforms. SQL is the most used database language and can be used for virtually any application where relational data needs to be stored.

Queries within SQL are used to retrieve data from the database, but the efficiency of the queries varies. As mentioned earlier, many databases have their own system-specific additional extensions, which reduces the efficiency of SQL queries.

SQL statements

The standard statements are SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and CREATE.

Without SQL, it is virtually impossible to go through a large database and find what you are looking for; it would take much longer. With SELECT, selecting data on a table and column type is possible. This immediately identifies data sets that meet the search criteria.

Sometimes you have new information that you want to add to the database. With INSERT, it is possible to add new information to tables. Like SELECT, it is possible to choose multiple columns to enter data.

The UPDATE statement updates one or more records in the database. It is possible to update all rows at once or use a condition to modify only a subset.

With the DELETE statement, you can delete existing records in a table. These can also be rows and can also meet specific criteria.

The CREATE statement is used to create a new database or table. CREATE DATABASE to create a new database and CREATE TABLE to create a new table in the new (or existing) database.

SQL vs. NoSQL

SQL (Structured Query Language) and NoSQL (Not Only SQL) are two types of database management systems. SQL is a traditional relational database management system, while NoSQL is a non-relational or distributed database management system.

The main difference between the two is the way they handle data. SQL databases store data in tables, and the schema defines the relationships between the tables. In contrast, NoSQL databases do not use a schema, and they store data in various ways, including document-based, key-value pairs, graph databases, and column-family stores.

Each type of database has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of database system depends on the specific needs of the application. SQL databases are generally used for applications that require complex queries and structured data, while NoSQL databases are ideal for applications with large volumes of unstructured or semi-structured data.