B5: Week 6 Blog Post - Group B

SQL - What is it? Why is it important?

SQL better known as Structured Query Language is a type of programming language utilized in the management of data contained in a relational database management system otherwise known to the everyday user as a "database".  SQL is based on aspects of both relational algebra as well as tuple calculus.  Though data definition and manipulation languages, SQL allows for data to be stored and organized within a database.  

Within SQL there are various attributes that allow its diverse scope to be represented and used for both language purposes as well as procedural elements.  SQL was developed at IBM in the 1970’s by Donald D. Chamberlin and Raymond F. Boyce.  Their initial program was called SEQUEL (Structured English QUEry Language) and it was used as an intercompany device that allowed data retrieval from IBM’s database management system “System R”.  As technology in this field advanced its practicality as a system became more well-known and started spreading across the electronic world. 

SQL is made up of various syntax, operators, language elements, and procedural extensions, but most importantly SQL is in charge of how we interact with programs and even the internet.  SQL gives us the ability to gather, organize, and filter information in a database in a quick and efficient manner, or in simpler words, SQL allows us to create tables with organized data based on operators and queries used to filter the information. 

With SQL, as well as any data management program, there are various advantages and disadvantages to using the programming.  Advantage wise SQL runs at a rather high speed in the sense that they can access and manage large amounts of data quickly and efficiently within a database.  In addition, well defined standards exist that have been nationally adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).  Technology advancements have also allowed for the emergence of Object Oriented DBMS which are more advanced the traditional relational databases.  Disadvantage wise the largest problem faced with SQL is not understanding how to interface with a database using SQL language.  Using SQL requires extensive knowledge of the language and its inner workings, so it is slightly more complex than just importing a few lines of code in order to manage data.  While SQL is important to database systems, it is only just a fraction of what goes into interacting with database technology, therefore it is important to make an attempt to understand all aspects of database technology for future use!

REFERENCES
http://www.cs.iit.edu/~cs561/cs425/VenkatashSQLIntro/Advantages%20&%20Disadvantages.html
http://www.iheavy.com/2011/06/05/sql-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL

COMMENTS
Dmitriy Voznyak
Dmitriy provided a well-written, in-depth explanation of not only SQL, but gave a great background on the history of database technology as well.  I like that he included an example of how SQL is used and an output table.  It was helpful in visualizing an aspect of SQL and further solidifies its usefulness.

Young Kwang Lee
I like that Young provided information more on the innerworkings and functions of SQL.  Furthermore I like that he addressed that he does not have previous database knowledge.  It shows that he is willing to learn more about it, and will be able to take something out of the blog post process for this week.  I myself have very limited database knowledge, so I am looking forward to learning more about the topic.