B5 - SQL Description and Benefits

SQL, which stands for Structured Query Language, is a programming language that is used to manage and interact with relational databases.  SQL was originally created by IBM in order to manage the data they stored in their database, System R.  Today it has grown into a vast baseline called SQL Standard, which is an extremely popular language used alongside databases.  Many vendors who design specific SQL solutions choose to include only parts of the behemoth SQL Standard in their permutations, which results in multiple SQL implementations that are different from one another.  SQL was adopted as an ANSI standard in 1986 and by ISO the following year.

SQL is based on a small number of language elements: clauses, expressions, predicates, queries, and statements.  Expressions are like formulas that can calculate scalar values and arrange them in data tables.  Queries are like questions you ask a database; you give it a criteria and it will search for and retrieve the corresponding data.  Statements are commands used to control a wide variety of aspects within databases very quickly.  Clauses are the pieces of code that structure queries and statements.  Predicates are conditions that can be put on queries and statements.

Databases are not just places in which data can be stored; they can also serve as a platform for data manipulation.  SQL provides the tools for users to modify their data through statements.  The statement INSERT is used to add new rows into a table.  UPDATE can modify information in existing tables.  DELETE removes rows from a table, and CREATE can define new tables entirely.  An example of an “UPDATE” command would be:

        

        UPDATE phonebook SET address = ‘North America” , phone = ‘+1 234 567 8910’ WHERE firstname = ‘Steve’ and lastname = ‘Buscemi’

This command updates the “phonebook” table, changing Steve Buscemi’s address column to North America and his phone number column to the new number.^[1]

Compared to other methods of organizing and managing data, databases combined with SQL contain natural and intuitive capabilities to perform complex and fast data analysis.  One of the most attractive qualities of SQL is its user-friendly statement structure, which allow it to be used by all types of users, not just those familiar with programming.  Although it is simple on its face, SQL provides the option for more savvy and experiences developers to get under the hood of the program and make changes and optimizations.  The language can also be extended to keep up with new challenges in the programming world.  Open source versions of SQL, such as MySQL, allow databases associated with SQL to be used at low to no cost, which is a tremendous incentive for  startups and other low-capital software ventures.^[2]

Comments:

On Maria Raggousis's Post: 

Maria,
I liked your statement example from Microsoft, specifically how it started with a very basic SELECT statement and built on top of it to structure a more complex statement from the original.  It really helped me contextualize what each of the parts of the complex statement meant and what their functions were.  I also liked how you tied our SQL topic back into the AEC industry through BIM.

On Maissoun Ksara's Post:
Maissoun,
I appreciated the relational database example and the images that went along with them.  I wrote my whole post on SQL, the language that interacts with relational databases, without fully knowing what a relational database was.  I found myself wondering what the "relational" part of the term meant and how it was actually implemented.  The simple example of poets and their works related using a numbered code allowed me to understand the term, and gave me an idea of how relational databases such as the one in the example would become complex as they scale up.

On Hayley Selden's Post:
Hayley,
I liked your summary of databases in the Construction industry, specifically how you broke up the topic into known uses and less common uses.  Like you mentioned, it's unsurprising that one of the most common uses for databases in the AEC industry is for estimating; ralational databases seem to be tailor-made for summation and pricing.  I did find it interesting that databases can be used to store information from legal contracts and documents.  Upon thinking about it longer, it does seem useful to have a repository of those types of documents on hand at a moment's notice.  I am also wondering what databases could be used for as technology in the AEC industry continues to develop.

Citations:

[1]       NTC Hosting. (2017). SQL (Structured Query Language). Retrieved February 11, 2017, from https://www.ntchosting.com/encyclopedia/databases/structured-query-language/

[2]       Systemantix LTD. (2016, August 11). 12 Benefits of (Structured Query Language). Retrieved February 11, 2017, from https://www.systematix.co.uk/12-benefits-of-sql-structured-query-language/