SQL Tutorial for Beginners

What is SQL?

To learn SQL Online, first let us compare SQL with NoSQL in the below table:

Comparison criteria	SQL	NoSQL
Type of database	Relational	Non-relational
How is data stored	Structured data in tables	Unstructured data in JSON files
Suitability for OLTP systems	Excellent	Average
Database compliance	ACID properties	CAP Theorem

The language to communicate with the relational database is the SQL or Structured Query Language. SQL programming helps to operate the relational databases and derive information from it.

Some of the operations that the SQL does include creation of database, fetching, modifying, updating and deleting the rows along with storing, manipulating and retrieving data within the relational database. SQL programming is an ANSI standard language but there are a lot of versions of SQL in usage as well.

Why is SQL programming so widely used?

Structured Query Language or SQL programming is used so extensively for the following reasons.

• SQL lets you access any data within the relational database
• You can describe the data in the database using SQL
• Using SQL you can manipulate the data with the relational database
• SQL can embed within other languages through SQL modules & libraries
• SQL lets you easily create and drop databases and tables
• SQL allows you to create views, functions and stored procedures in databases
• Using SQL you can set permissions on procedures, tables and views.

Features of SQL

Here in this section of the SQL tutorial for beginners, we list some of the top features of SQL that make it so ubiquitous when it comes to managing relational databases.

• SQL is very simple and easy to learn language
• SQL is versatile as it works with database systems from Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, etc.
• SQL is an ANSI and ISO standard language for database creation and manipulation
• SQL has a well-defined structure as it uses long established standards
• SQL is very fast in retrieving large amounts of data very efficiently
• SQL lets you manage databases without knowing lot of coding.

Applications of SQL

Here in this section of the SQL tutorial we will learn SQL applications that make it so important in a data-driven world where managing huge databases is the norm of the day.

• SQL is used as a Data Definition Language (DDL) meaning you can independently create a database, define its structure, use it and then discard it when you are done with it
• SQL is also used as a Data Manipulation Language (DML) which means you can use it for maintaining an already existing database. SQL is a powerful language for entering data, modifying data and extracting data with regard to a database
• SQL is also deployed as a Data Control Language (DCL) which specifies how you can protect your database against corruption and misuse.
• SQL is extensively used as a Client/Server language to connect the front-end with the back-end thus supporting the client/server architecture
• SQL can also be used in the three-tier architecture of a client, an application server and a database which defines the Internet architecture.

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