Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

SQL

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Database Systems

Synonyms

SEQUEL; Structured query language

Definition

SQL is the world’s most widely used database query language. It was developed at IBM Research Laboratories in the 1970s, based on the relational data model defined by E. F. Codd in 1970. It supports retrieval, manipulation, and administration of data stored in tabular form. It is the subject of an international standard named Database Language SQL.

Historical Background

Early Language Development

In June 1970, E. F. Codd of IBM Research published a paper [1] defining the relational data model and introducing the concept of data independence. Codd’s thesis was that queries should be expressed in terms of high-level, nonprocedural concepts that are independent of physical representation. Selection of an algorithm for processing a given query could then be done by an optimizing compiler, based on the access paths available and the statistics of the stored data; if these access paths or statistics should later change, the algorithm...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 4,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 6,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Recommended Reading

  1. Codd EF. A relational model of data for large shared databanks. Commun ACM. 1970;13(6):377–87.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Codd EF. A data base sublanguage founded on the relational calculus. In: Proceedings of the ACM-SIGFIDET Workshop on Data Description, Access and Control; 1971. p. 35–68.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Astrahan MM, et al. System R: a relational approach to database management. ACM Trans Database Syst. 1976;1(2):97–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Chamberlin D, Boyce R. SEQUEL: a structured english query language. In: Proceedings of the 1974 ACM SIGFIDET Workshop on Data Description, Access and Control; 1974. p. 249–64.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Chamberlin D, et al. SEQUEL 2: a unified approach to data definition, data manipulation, and control. IBM J Res Develop. 1976;20(6):560–75.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Feuerstein S, Pribyl B. Oracle PL/SQL programming. Sebastopol: O’Reilly; 2005.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Microsoft SQL Server Development Center. Transact-SQL reference. http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189826.aspx

  8. Database Language SQL. Standard ISO/IEC 9075-1, -2, etc. Available at: http://www.iso.ch

  9. Database Language SQL. Standard ANSI/ISO/IEC 9075-1, -2, etc. Available at: http://www.ansi.org

  10. Melton J, Simon AR. SQL:1999-understanding relational language components. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann; 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Melton J. Advanced SQL:1999-understanding object-relational and other advanced features. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann; 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Codd EF. Does your DBMS run by the rules? ComputerWorld, 21 Oct 1985. See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codd’s_12_rules

  13. Sanders RE. ODBC 3.5 developer’s guide. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Sun Developer Network. JDBC overview. http://java.sun.com/products/jdbc/overview.html

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA, USA

    Don Chamberlin

Authors
  1. Don Chamberlin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Don Chamberlin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Ling Liu

  2. University of Waterloo School of Computer Science, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    M. Tamer Özsu

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Information Technology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Tore Risch

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Chamberlin, D. (2018). SQL. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_1091

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation