noun

SQL

ESS-kew-EL, also SEE-kwuhl

SQL (noun) means a language for asking questions of a database and changing what is stored in it — selecting records that meet certain conditions, adding rows, updating values and deleting them. Example: “A single line of SQL pulled every customer who ordered twice last month.”

noun

technical A language for asking questions of a database and changing what is stored in it — selecting records that meet certain conditions, adding rows, updating values and deleting them.

"A single line of SQL pulled every customer who ordered twice last month."

"She knows enough SQL to answer her own reporting questions."

How to use SQL

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSQL is how you ask a database for exactly the information you want.

When to use it

Both pronunciations are standard and neither is wrong; the article follows whichever the speaker uses ("an SQL query" or "a SQL query"). Keywords are conventionally written in capitals.

Memory tip

SQL is the language; MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server and SQLite are database systems that speak it, each with its own extensions and quirks.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

MySQL NoSQL PostgreSQL SQLite

Common pairings

SQL query write SQL raw SQL SQL database SQL injection

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

A single line of _____ pulled every customer who ordered twice last month.

Etymology

An initialism of structured query language. It grew out of an earlier IBM language called SEQUEL, which is why the pronunciation "see-kwuhl" persists alongside the spelled-out form.

Origin: English

Synonyms

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structured query language query language

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between SQL and MySQL?

SQL is the query language itself, a standard that many products implement. MySQL is one specific database system that you write SQL against. The same is true of PostgreSQL, SQL Server and others.

What is the difference between SQL and NoSQL?

SQL databases store data in tables of rows and columns with a defined structure, and are queried with SQL. NoSQL is an umbrella term for databases organised differently — as documents, key-value pairs, graphs or wide columns — usually with more flexible structure and their own query methods.

What is SQL injection?

It is an attack where text a user types is treated as part of a database command rather than as plain data, letting an attacker read or alter records they should not reach. It is prevented by passing user input as parameters rather than pasting it into the query text.

What is the meaning of SQL?

"SQL" (noun) means a language for asking questions of a database and changing what is stored in it — selecting records that meet certain conditions, adding rows, updating values and deleting them.