SQL databases are in use for many years and are still being used today. The following blog post we provide an overview of what an SQL database is and also compare some of the most popular databases: MariaDB, MySQL, and PostgreSQL (sometimes called Postgres).
What Is a SQL Database?
SQL is a shorthand in the form of Structured Query Language. It’s the language used in relational databases. The SQL databases is set of tables which store an exact set of structured information.
It is the SQL database has been the tried and tested backend business tool and is at the core of what we do in the digital age. SQL was developed during the 1970s by IBM to access IBM’s System R database system.
The history of SQL Databases
The value of having the ability to access multiple records using one command, which doesn’t require specifying the method to get to a specific record was instantly acknowledged by the computing community. It quickly became the standard query language for various relation management systems for databases, or RDBMS, such as IBM’s DB2 and, in 1979, Relational Software Inc.’s (now called Oracle Software) Oracle V2 database server for Vax systems. Then, in 1986, SQL was accepted in 1986 by ANSI as well as ISO standards organizations , which paved ways to Microsoft SQL Server and the many open source databases that available currently.
The RDBMS we use in the past rely heavily on SQL to be the platform that lets us execute all the necessary operations for creating, retrieving, edit and remove data as required. From an open-source perspective, the RDBMSs are MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL as the most frequently used open source RDBMSs currently in use. A lot of Fortune 100 companies across several different industries, including healthcare, retail, financial and many others have turned to open source alternatives to significantly lower the cost of ownership contrasted with pay-for-play options, like Oracle Database server and Microsoft SQL Server.
Examples of SQL databases
MariaDB and MySQL
MariaDB as well as MySQL are open-source SQL Database servers that originally began as MySQL. But due to concerns over how MySQL will develop in the near future MySQL after it was acquired from Oracle Software, MariaDB was separated from the project and became its own entity , but it maintains its compatibility with MySQL protocol and APIs for clients as well as tables and data definition files.
It means many instances third party software can be used with both versions and are generally considered as a replacement that can be used with any version. Since an acquisition by MySQL, Oracle has been an extremely benevolent steward of the open source project . majority of the concerns that people had in the beginning days after the acquisition didn’t been realized, but certain open source enthusiasts may still favor MariaDB in place of MySQL.
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is an object-relational database management software (ORDBMS) rather than being a pure RDBMS system such as MySQL as well as MariaDB. That means PostgreSQL data models are built on relational database models , but they may also incorporate object-oriented models, too. In real life, that implies that we’ll are seeing PostgreSQL employed in more complex and diverse data models as well as MariaDB and MySQL utilized for lighter data models.
It was born out of an Ingres initiative in UC Berkley in 1982, PostgreSQL was designed with the intention of introducing the fewest features needed to support all of the most popular data types. This “biggest price for your money” philosophy continues to guide the growth of PostgreSQL until today. For those who are open source enthusiasts, this is usually the preferred database since it is an open source project that is overseen as a result of those who are part of the PostgreSQL GDG, which is a non for profit corporation that can’t be sold because of its creation.
What’s the future of SQL Databases?
In recent times, new technologies have been developed to address the requirements of database servers that are able to manage massive amounts of data at exceptionally high throughout speeds without compromising stability or availability. NoSQL (Not Only SQL which is also known as Non-SQL) databases are becoming increasingly popular to satisfy the demands. NoSQL databases store data in a different manner than traditional databases, using JSON key-value or key-value databases , to mention some of the more commonly used storage options. PostgreSQL is a database that uses JSON along with its OORDMS approach is testimony to the enduring power that the NoSQL databases.
But it’s going to take an extended time before the sun sets on the classic SQL database. The extent to which SQL databases are integrated into our daily routines means that the highly efficient and robust RDBMS will continue to be the mainstay of business for a long time to in the future.
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