SQL is an effective standardized programming language that comes in handy when managing, accessing, or manipulating relational databases and performing different operations. 

In 1986 SQL became a standard of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI). 

Over the years, developers writing data integration scripts, database administrators, and data analysts trying to run and set up analytical queries have regularly used the benefits of SQL. 

This is all down to the fact that SQL allows them to perform functions like retrieving data, creating new databases, or inserting, updating, and deleting databases and data.

There are several advantages of SQL over other programming languages. This article will find the SQL features and benefits, so keep reading.

What is SQL? Features And Benefits

SQL is an acronym for Structured Query Language, a domain-specific programming language designed to offer a lot of functions and features.

Raymond FF Boyce and Donald D. Chamberline developed SQL with the name SEQUEL in the 1970s at IBM.

By design, it was supposed to manipulate and retrieve data stored in the original quasi-relational DBMS of IBM.

SQL’s first commercial implementation was in June 1979 when Relational Software for VAX computers introduced SQL.

Nowadays, the language can manage and manipulate data like updating, deletion, insertion based on a relational database management system.

One of the reasons SQL is popular and widely used is because it is user-friendly and easy to understand.

Its creators designed SQL’s usage similar to the English Language while making it easier to access data directly wherever it is stored rather than copy the data to other applications.

This alone makes analytics a lot more convenient. SQL is also great for stream processing within a relational data stream management system, and in addition, you can do the following with it:

• Retrieve data from databases, and a solid example is getting the number of sales in a specific month.
• Manipulate data, and a good example is replacing null or blank values with a word.
• Define data, and an example is normalizing abbreviated values to full state names.

We look at the SQL features and benefits that make this programming language a top pick among data analysts, database administrators, and developers.

Features Of SQL

The following features of Structured Query Language make it a solid primary but robust language for lots of organizations looking to manage their large databases:

#1. Flexibility and Scalability

SQL offers users flexibility and scalability for relational database management systems. With SQL, it is easier to create new tables while dropping or deleting previously-created or scantily used tables.

#2. A Comprehensive Application Development Tool

Programmers use SQL to program applications to access a database, making it a comprehensive and effective application development tool. SQL is suitable for every large or small organization, no matter the size.

#3. Rich Transactional Support

It has rich transactional support. Structured Query Language’s programming capability of handling large records while also managing several other transactions is top-notch.

#4. High Performance

Another feature of SQL is that it offers a high-performance programming capability for high usage, incredibly transactional, and heavy workload database systems. Structured Query Language’s programming provides different ways to describe data more analytically.

#5. High Availability

SQL is compatible with other databases such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database, MS Access, MySQL, SAP Adaptive Server, and more.

These RDBMSs support SQL, and it is easier to create application extensions for procedural programming and several other SQL functions that are extra features, hence making SQL a strong tool.

#6. High Security

SQL also has high security as one of its notable features. It’s easy to give permissions on views, procedures, and tables. So with SQL, you get optimum security for your data.

#7. SQL’s Management Ease

Almost every Relational Database Management System uses Structured Query Language. Some of the common and standard SQL commands include “Delete,” “Insert,” “Select,” “Update,” and “Drop.” These commands help users manage large amounts of data from a database efficiently and quickly.

#8. Open Source

Structured Query Language has the feature of being an open-source programming language great for building relational database management systems (RDBMS). This makes it a great pick for developers and programmers who are looking for a community of professionals to learn from off, and it’s also one of the benefits of SQL.

Here’s What SQL Can Do

SQL allows users to access data in relational database management systems while also describing the data. There are a lot of things that SQL can do, and below, we list most of the notable ones:

• Structured Query Language can set permissions on views, tables, and procedures
• It can execute queries against databases
• It can create new databases
• It can create views in a database
• It can create solid stored procedures in a database
• SQL can create new tables in a databases
• SQL is capable of deleting records from a database
• SQL is capable of inserting records into a database
• SQL can also retrieve data from a database
• SQL can update records in a database

Applications of SQL

SQL is applied in modification of database table and modification of the index structures. Here’s a look at some SQL applications:

• Database Administrators (DBAs) and developers use SQL when writing Data Integration Scripts.
• SQL users use the programming language to retrieve information. You can use SQL to retrieve the subsets of information in a database for transaction processing and analytics applications. Insert, Select, Truncate, Add, Update, Alter, Create, and Delete.
• Developers use SQL to deal with analytical queries required in analyzing data and getting much-needed instincts from it.

SQL Server: Advantages and Disadvantages 

Advantages of SQL

• • Quicker Query Processing: SQL Server has the advantage of offering faster and quicker query processing. You can efficiently and quickly retrieve a large amount of data. What’s more, operations like manipulation, deletion, or insertion of data are carried out in little to no time at all making it one of the strong advantages of SQL.
  • Standardized Language: SQL offers a uniform platform globally to its numerous users because of documentation and long establishment through the years, making it a standardized language for analysts and developers. 

• No Coding Skills Required: When carrying out data retrieval, numerous lines of code aren’t needed. The syntactical rules aren’t so complex in SQL either, making it a user-friendly language. In SQL, you use basic keywords like “Update,” “Select,” “Into,” and “Insert.”

• Interactive: The SQL server is interactive, and the language is easy to understand and learn. Users can receive the answers to very complex queries in seconds.

• Portable: Portability is one of the benefits of SQL Server. You can use SQL in programs in laptops, servers, or personal computers independent of any existing platform or operating system. Besides, you can embed SQL with other apps as you require or need.

• Multiple or Different Data Views: The SQL language helps users to make different views of a database structure while also making databases for different users.

Disadvantages of SQL

Despite the many advantages of SQL or the great SQL features and benefits, there are still some disadvantages of using SQL. Below are some disadvantages of SQL:

• Difficult Interface: SQL’s interface is a little complex and difficult. This alone makes it difficult for new users to deal with the database at first.

• Partial Control:  The presence of hidden business rules means that the database isn’t given complete control.

• Cost: The fact that some versions of SQL are costly makes accessibility difficult for some programmers.

Benefits of SQL: Why You Should Use SQL

Why should you use SQL, and what are the benefits of SQL server? Below are numerous benefits of SQL and reasons why people prefer it:

• You can use SQL as a programmer to write apps using databases
• Several users of a database can, via SQL, receive different views of the structure and content of the database; thus, SQL offers multiple data views.
• People use SQL to create and manage databases and their security. SQL is a complete language for a database, and its main use is in retrieving, updating, and sharing data with more than one user.
• You can use SQL in a 3-tiered internet architecture, including a database, a client, and an application server.
• You can also use SQL to connect your clients or front-end computers and servers or back-end databases while supporting a solid client-server architecture.
• SQL is widely considered a very desirable skill with many jobs such as web development, IT support, and business data analysts needed the skills in SQL.
• With SQL, you get databases at a low cost but with a large community backing them. This is all because SQL is open source, and some free databases include MySQL, Postgres, and MariaDB.
• SQL is thankfully portable and can run on PCs, tablets, mainframes, laptops, smartphones, and servers. What’s more, SQL runs on the internet, local systems, and intranet, and users can move databases that use SQL from one device to another.
• Due to SQL’s interactive language, you can use it to communicate with a database and receive answers to complex questions instantly.
• All the major database management system vendors, including Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle, use SQL.
• Perhaps one of the best advantages of SQL and a solid reason why you should use SQL is that it is easy to learn and understand. It consists of mainly English statements, making it easier to understand, learn, and write SQL queries.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, SQL is one of the most demanding skills today as large amounts of data are collected, and people need to deal with these databases to create meaningful information. 

SQL is the special-purpose database programming language that aids users in generating useful strategies from a database. 

Nowadays, SQL is used in Business Intelligence tools while people can do data testing and Data Manipulation via the programming language.

And with the SQL features and benefits, including the advantages of SQL, it is no surprise that big data tools like Impala, Spark, and other Data Science tools are very dependent on SQL.