It seems to be the most basic thing but this post is specifically to those who have just started or want to start their career in Database Domain. When you are a novice. You have only idea about what is a Database. But in practical life how companies are actually managing it?

Let us start with the basic.

What is a Database?

Let me take you to the old days of humanity. When there was no Computer. How companies are managing their data back then. Forget about the company ask your Grand Father, How he use to manage all the accounts. The answer is simply writing it in text book. He comes in every night working hard, and wrote all his spending and earning in a notebook. He must have fully covered 10, 20 or much more notebooks in his entire life. This whole collection of his notebooks is nothing but a database. GrandPa database. Database is a repository of essential information. It can be in any format.

Now your grandpa must have wrote his work in different formats. Like in para. “I have to pay Mr. Mark an amount of $10.” Or he might write the same thing as “Mark – Pay $10”. But what should be the most appropriate way to store your data. It would be.

This is a Table. For me it is much easier to read

This give us a basic idea of what is a Database and what is a table?

Now we will enter to the age where Computers. All of your Grandpa Document can be stored in a computer. He will have its own database where he will write all his daily account in details. But how? What is an interface for him to make database, to store data in it.

This is where huge companies provided their product. ORACLE, IBM, MICROSOFT. Tools which can help you create a database, create table. Store data in it. See the result when required. One of such tool is MS SQL developed by Microsoft. Oracle owns Oracle Database. They all have their own methods to work on databases but ultimately they provide you with one solution which is letting you manage you huge database in table format. Conceptually, MS SQL is no different from ORACLE or MYSQL (etc). But each have their own benefits.

What is SQL?

Structured Query Language. Now, Companies have provided us a method to store your data. But how a user is going to interact with that data. How to read or write into a table. For that purpose Structured Query Language is used(SQL). Because Microsoft named their product as MS SQL, Most people think that that SQL is related to Microsoft only. But that is not correct, even Oracle and other platforms uses SQL to work with database (Yes, a little syntax can vary but ultimately the meaning of keywords remain same for all).

So, SQL is a language which can be used to work with your Databases.

Stay Tuned, In my next post I will explain about Microsoft SQL Server.