SQL stands for Structured Query Language, and it is a domain-specific language used for managing and manipulating relational databases. SQL is a standard language for interacting with databases, and it allows you to perform various operations on data stored in a database, such as querying data, updating data, inserting data, and deleting data.
SQL is used to communicate with relational database management systems (RDBMS) like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and many others. These systems use SQL to create, manage, and query databases.
Common SQL operations include:
SELECT: Used to retrieve data from a database. You can specify the columns you want to retrieve, conditions to filter the data, and even join multiple tables together.
INSERT: Used to add new records (rows) to a database table.
UPDATE: Used to modify existing records in a table.
DELETE: Used to remove records from a table.
CREATE: Used to create new database objects, such as tables, views, indexes, and more.
ALTER: Used to modify the structure of an existing database object.
DROP: Used to delete database objects, such as tables or views.
SQL is a powerful and essential tool for managing data in many applications and is widely used in web development, data analysis, and various other fields where data storage and retrieval are critical.