SQL

What is SQL?

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. First appearing in 1974, SQL became a standard of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in 1986 and of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1987. SQL lets you access and manage databases, especially relational databases. Oracle used SQL with its relational database in the late 1970s, which would go on to become the one of the most used databases in the world.

While SQL is a standard, many different versions exist. All SQL versions must support a core set of commands and execute them in a similar manner. You can use SQL with databases to execute queries, retrieve data, and add, update, or delete records. SQL can also handle administrative functions, like creating new databases or tables within a database and setting permissions.

SQL benefits

• Relational databases are the most used type of databases in the world and SQL is the query language typically used with relational databases. This simply means that it’s ubiquitous and that there are a lot of people that know how to use SQL.

• SQL is relatively easy to learn (compared to other programming languages) because its commands rely on common English words making it easier for users to understand what SQL code is doing.

• SQL integrates easily with other programming languages so users can leverage the benefits of SQL across a wide range of applications and environments.

• SQL is fast, which means that users can get more done in less time, and that they can access higher volumes of information quicker.

Using SQL with InfluxDB

InfluxDB new storage engine supports SQL queries natively. Users can use SQL statements to query compatible buckets and in the query/script editor in the InfluxDB Cloud interface. The new InfluxDB Cloud storage engine also enables FlightSQL support, so users can leverage third-party SQL tools.