SQL for Not Yet Techies

"Computer Careers: Is an Important Skill to Have in Today’s Internet and Database World and High Tech Jobs"

by Richard Stooker, President Info Ring Press and author of Secrets of Changing to a Computer Career

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. SQL is a program language but it is not complete in itself for a computer career. Structured Query Language is only for databases.

SQL is a language for creating, adding data to, monitoring, correcting, querying and maintaining databases

And not just any databases, but a special kind called relational databases.

You know that databases are basically lists of data. For instance, most non-retail businesses should maintain a list of their customers. However, they don’t want to know simply the names of their customers, but need to know many other related facts. Addresses, names of contacts, names of products bought, orders, prices paid etc.

In prehistoric pre-computer days, companies kept this information in files or on paper index cards. With the advent of computers, they began to keep this information on computers. However, for years, these databases were simply electronic index cards. You would see a column of customer names, addresses etc.

These are known as flat databases

However, if that customer called up about a problem with their current order, you couldn’t find that information on the index card. Index cards are just to small to hold the details of every order. Besides, the index card was probably kept in some central office. The sales order, invoices, shipping documents etc. were kept in the appropriate departments.

Therefore, flat databases have significant limits to their usefulness.

About 1970, an IBM computer job scientist wrote a paper that basically created relational databases, which computers make possible.

Basically, relational databases link databases together. Our business can simply assign each customer a customr number. This number is a column on the main customr database. This unique cust number can then be linked to databases of products, which can be linked to databases of individual orders.

IBM first brought out Structured Query Language -SQL - about the same time

As I said at first, SQL is not a complete language in itself. A complete language such as C is considered a procedural language. When a C program tells a computer to do something, it must tell it exactly what and how to do it. From point A to Z.

SQL is a nonprocedural language. It tells the computer what to do, not how. It is really designed to be embedded in a host, complete procedural language, simply to deal with databases.

Oracle brought out the first programming system using SQL - Structured Query Language - and it has grown in massive popularity and computer careers ever since then

You may never become a database administrator (or maybe you will!), but SQL database skills are extremely important in business, especially the ability (which Structured Query Language also has) to hook databases up to the Internet.

Anyone who has any ambition for working in a computer career, could benefit from learning SQL.

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