What Is SQL?

The way into a relational database is through a query language--which is a set of operators, expressions, and statements that let you manipulate the database in various ways. You create queries as well as other kinds of statements in ALLBASE/SQL by using SQL (Structured Query Language); and you issue the statements directly, through an interactive command processor, or indirectly, through an application program.

SQL includes statements that let you do the following:

SQL statements are printed in capitals (for example, SELECT) in this book and throughout the ALLBASE/SQL document set.