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Learning Database Languages

In terms of database laguages there are mainly two languages Xbase and SQL.  From Xbase database language dBase, FoxPro and Clipper databases developed in early seventies. Also, there are other hierarchical database such as Focus.  But it is the SQL that brought the revolution in database applications and gave the birth to the Relational Database as the modern database of the digital world.

Technologically, there are basically three types of databases knows as flat file database, heirarchical database and relational database. The flat file database is a single text file with numbers of columns and rows. The hierarchical database is based on procedures, routines and subroutines that define database for its functions.  The relational database is based on entity relationships. A database is made of many entities and each entity exists with its own definition of its properties. The definition of each entity of a database creates relationships among these entities.  SQL language has this power to define a database with several tables as a relational database by simply defining each table with unique property.  A table is simply made of columns and rows as any flat file system but what makes them different that in relational database each tables is defined according to the business logic with its own unique quality and function.

    Xbase programming language is a interpretive language,  but its programming technique is a procedural and not object oriented. It is still in business with those companies which started business with FoxPro or dBase or Clipper in seventies.   However, Mircosoft and Borland Software who bought FoxPro and dBase and made more advanced Xbase databases in eighties have changed thier databases into relational database with SQL backbone and do not support pure Xbase programming anymore.  Microsofts changed FoxPro 2.6 into Visual FoxPro and Borland changed its dbase4 into Visual dBase.   There is a little scope to be a xBase programmer where databases like Oracle, Sybase and SQL Server have taken the leading enterprise role.  It has a broader scope for programmers  to stick with SQL: structured Query Language than Xbase programming especially if you are interested in ecommerce. Also, SQL commands can be embedded in any other programming languages such as C, C++, Visual Basic, Perl, Java, Cobal, Fortan, Basic, and even in Xbase.  So, programmers must know SQL commands.

    SQL has made in last twenty years the revolution in database technology.  SQL is originally came from IBM but it grew more rapidly outside of IBM itself.  Due to SQL Oracle and Sybase enterprise databases developed.  These to great database technologies added many new fucntionalities and scopes to SQL structure and   created thier own interal programming languages known as PLSQL of Oracle and Transact SQL of Sybase and SQL Server.  SQL Server is a very recent product of Microsoft which originally came from Sybase.

    Topic Oracle and Sybase originally designed to run on Unix environment. Now due to the popularity and advancement of windows they have designed Orcale and Sybase for Windows operating systems.  However, SQL Server is purely designed for Windows, especially for Windows NT operating system.

  • SQL, PLSQL & TransactSQL Syntax

Due to the ecommerce on the Internet database has become the backbone for all business.  In the beginning ecommerce on the Internet used flat file database with CGI Scripts applications.  Now the Internet technology has advanced with the business logic that without relational database performance will be terribly poor.  So Oracle, Sybase and SQL Server are now upfront for ecommerce.  SQL commands are now all over the World Wide Web and HTTP servers.  You can embed SQL commands with ASP, ADO, CGI, Javascript, ColdFusion, you name it.  It is a cool language.

Designed by
Prakash Bom