Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft. As a database its primary function is to store and retrieve data as requested by other software applications, be it those on the same computer or those running on another computer across a network (including the Internet). There are several different editions of Microsoft SQL Server aimed at different audiences and for workloads ranging from small single-machine applications to large Internet-facing applications with many concurrent users. Its primary query languages are T-SQL and ANSI SQL.
below is the chart of its different release/versions
| Version | Year | Release Name | Codename | |
| 1 | 1989 | SQL Server 1.0 (16 bit) | Ashton-Tate / Microsoft SQL Server | |
| 1.1 | 1991 | SQL Server 1.1 (16 bit) | – | |
| 4.21 | 1993 | SQL Server 4.21 | SQLNT | |
| 6 | 1995 | SQL Server 6.0 | SQL95 | |
| 6.5 | 1996 | SQL Server 6.5 | Hydra | |
| 7 | 1998 | SQL Server 7.0 | Sphinx | |
| 7 | 1999 | SQL Server 7.0 | Palato mania | |
| 8 | 2000 | SQL Server 2000 | Shiloh | |
| 8 | 2003 | SQL Server 2000 64-bit Edition | Liberty | |
| 9 | 2005 | SQL Server 2005 | Yukon | |
| 10 | 2008 | SQL Server 2008 | Katmai | |
| 10.25 | 2010 | Azure SQL DB | Cloud Database or CloudDB | |
| 10.5 | 2010 | SQL Server 2008 R2 | Kilimanjaro (aka KJ) | |
| 11 | 2012 | SQL Server 2012 | Denali | |
| 12 | 2014 | SQL Server 2014 | SQL14 |
