Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2008 All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies®

IV.1.1. Key Language Concepts

Microsoft's flavor of Structured Query Language (SQL) is Transact-SQL (T-SQL). T-SQL is the primary language used to interact with Microsoft's SQL Server databases.

T-SQL is based on the ANSI/92 standard for SQL with extensions added from Microsoft. These extensions improve the language's functionality with SQL Server databases, but also make it different from other versions of SQL. Generally, scripts written to run with one version of SQL won't run on another version without modifications.

For such a popular database language, you'd think its name would be well known. Not necessarily true. It's pronounced in two ways:

• Es-que-el (as the letters S, Q, and L): The ANSI specification states that it should be pronounced this way.

• Sequel (as a word): The overwhelming majority of database professionals we work with pronounce it this way.

NOTE

Transact-SQL (T-SQL) is Microsoft's flavor of SQL, though other flavors exist. Oracle uses Procedural Language / SQL (PL/SQL), and IBM uses SQL Procedural Language (SQL PL). All the different versions have their own extensions designed to meet the needs of the individual databases and their users.

SQL statements fall into two primary categories:

• Data Definition Language (DDL) statements: Used to add, delete, and modify objects within the database. Objects are entities within the database used to hold or manipulate data. They include tables, views, stored procedures, functions, and triggers.

• Data Manipulation Language ...