If you’ve ever created a website, you may have encountered terms such as “SQL” and “database”- but what exactly are they?  Actually, SQL and databases are related very closely as you will see in the following text.  Before we discuss SQL, however, we must first understand the basics of a database.

Imagine if every document you have saved over the years was located on the desktop of your computer.  While the process may work for a while, it becomes more time consuming to locate a specific document as the number of files grow.  This is where a database comes in.  Databases are essentially collections of data that are designed to let the user retrieve and store data as efficiently as possible.  They are capable of storing millions of records, while at the same time able to locate a single unique file within seconds.   The computer language that these entities speak is the SQL side.

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language designed for managing items held in databases.  Most databases support the use of SQL to access and store data- MySQL is one of the most popular brands.  It is commonly offered through web hosting providers for websites that require certain web software such as a blog or content management system (CMS).  If you have these items embedded in your website, then you probably are already utilizing this database language.  Fortunately, the average user does not need to learn this coding language- only the CMS or blogging platform it runs on (i.e. WordPress, Drupal).

So, this is the relationship between databases and SQL.  SQL is the language that speaks to the database which makes it possible to store and retrieve information very rapidly.  Our developers at iPoint are experts in SQL and MySQL languages, and our networking group excels in database development.  If you believe your business’ website could benefit from either of these services, don’t hesitate to contact our Networking Department!