HistorySQL (originally: Structured Query Language) is an internationally-recognized programming language for defining and maintaining relational databases.
Initially developed by IBM in the late 1970's, SQL caught on in the database world as vendors, realizing the many advantages of the relational approach to database management, began to develop commercial products based on those principles. Because SQL was the language most commonly supported by the new products, it soon became the de facto standard for relational database products.
The popularity of SQL further increased when the language became an official standard in October of 1986, with ANSI's (the American National Standards Institute) release of ANSI document X3.135-1986 "Database Language - SQL". This first SQL Standard, SQL-86, became internationally accepted in 1987, when the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) -- a worldwide federation of national standards bodies -- adopted the ANSI document as well.
SQL-86 was updated and enhanced in 1989. ANSI X3.168-1989 "Database Language - Embedded SQL" became official in April of 1989. ANSI X3.135-1989 "Database Language - SQL with Integrity Enhancement" followed in October of 1989 and SQL-89 became the new standard for DBMSs to follow. Then, in August of 1992, another update, SQL-92, was released jointly by ISO and ANSI as ISO/IEC 9075:1992 "Database Language SQL". (Soon after, SQL-92 was adopted as a [United States] Federal Information Processing Standard. FIPS PUB 127-2, Database Language SQL also helpfully specified what the US government required for some of the features the SQL-92 Standard said were to be "implementation-defined".) This will be followed by the next version of the Standard, SQL3, expected to be released in early 1999 as ISO/IEC 9075:1999 "Information Technology - Database Languages - SQL".
This brings us to current times and the writing of this book.
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Portions of the text in this entry are Copyright © 1999 by Ocelot Computer Services Incorporated. Used by permission.
