SQL databases are around for many years and are still in use to this day. This blog we’ll provide an overview of what an SQL database is, and then compare some of the most frequently used 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. SQL databases are used for relational database. SQL database can be described as a set of tables which store the same set of structured information.
SQL database SQL database has been the tried and tested engine of the backend company and the foundation of what that we do in the current electronic age. SQL was first 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 quickly acknowledged by the computing community. It was quickly adopted as the standard query language in relational 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. In 1986, SQL was accepted as a standard language by ANSI along with ISO standards bodies, paving ways to Microsoft SQL Server and the many open source databases that currently available in the present.
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The RDBMS we have today are based upon 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 standpoint, the RDBMSs are MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL as the most widely utilized open source RDBMS currently in use. A lot of Fortune 100 companies across several different industries like healthcare, financial, retail and more have embraced these open source alternatives to significantly reduce their overall cost of ownership as compared to pay-for play offerings like Oracle Database server and Microsoft SQL Server.
Examples of SQL databases
MariaDB and MySQL
MariaDB along with MySQL are both binary-compatible open-source SQL Database servers that originally were created as MySQL. Due to concerns about how MySQL will develop in the near future MySQL following its acquisition from Oracle Software, MariaDB was split from MySQL as an independent entity. However, it continues to maintain its compatibility with MySQL protocol and APIs for clients along with tables and data definition files.
That means in many instances, third-party tools 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 exemplary steward for the open source community and majority of the concerns that people had in the initial days following the acquisition didn’t been addressed, though certain open source enthusiasts may still favor MariaDB to MySQL.
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is an object-relational management system for databases (ORDBMS) in place of an entirely RDBMS system such as MySQL or MariaDB. That means PostgreSQL data models are built on relational database models , but they may also incorporate object-oriented models. In reality, this implies that we’ll are seeing PostgreSQL employed in more complex and diverse data models, and we also see MariaDB and MySQL employed for less heavy data models.
The idea of PostgreSQL was born from in the Ingres initiative that was developed at UC Berkley in 1982, PostgreSQL was developed with the intention of introducing the smallest number of features needed to support all of the most popular data types. This “biggest price for your money” philosophy continues to guide the advancement of PostgreSQL until today. For those who prefer open source, it is the most popular most preferred database as it is an open source project, backed as a result of people from the PostgreSQL Global Development Group which is a non for profit corporation that can’t be sold easily due to its creation.
What’s the future of SQL Databases?
In recent years, innovative technologies have been developed to address the requirements of databases that are able to handle massive sets of data in very high throughput without compromising stability or availability. NoSQL (Not Only SQL also known as Non-SQL) databases are becoming more popular to meet these requirements. NoSQL databases store data in a different manner than traditional databases, using JSON key-value or key-value database to name some of the more commonly used storage options. PostgreSQL is a database that uses JSON as well as its OORDMS method is a testament to the enduring power that this type of NoSQL databases.
But it’s going to take quite a while before the sun sets on the classic SQL database. The degree to which SQL databases are a part of our lives implies that they are extremely functional and durable. RDBMS will remain a vital part of any enterprise for years to be.