A short history of SQL

The history of the relational data model began in 1970 with the publication of EFCodda Fri A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks. This article attracted considerable interest because it represented the feasibility and practical applications of a commercial database system. This work established the theoretical basis for building a database based on a relational approach to the modeling. Published theory very quickly became interested potential developers and manufacturers of database management systems.

The road from theory to practice is often a long and bumpy but in this case, due to the urgent needs of the market, proceeded quickly and efficiently. One of the main challenges was to develop a way to communicate and use of relational databases, namely the creation of a special programming language. During the work on the language of the database, conducted at IBM, in 1974, was the language SEQUEL (Structured English Query Language), which was then developed and called SQL (Structured Query Language) - rename the result of a legal dispute with the registered name of the sequel.

At the end of the 70s of the twentieth century, Oracle launched the first commercial database management system based on SQL. In the 80's and 90's, last century, continued rapid development of databases based on relational model and SQL. Since many manufacturers started to create database solutions based on the relational model and SQL language arose is a risk that the various producers SQL will evolve differently. The solution to this problem was to define the SQL standards by the ISO (International Standards Organization) and ANSI (called the American National Standards Institute).

Defining the standard should be regarded as guidelines for system manufacturers, the direction in which to develop further the development of the SQL language, what new elements can be introduced to the language and the database system should implement the operations that define databases and their operation.

Currently, SQL is a widely used language to communicate with database systems based on relational data model,

A Brief History of SQL standards:

• 1986: The first SQL standard (SQL-86)
• 1989: the next SQL standard (SQL-89)
• 1992: the next, enhanced version of the standard (SQL-92 or SQL 2)
• 1999: implementation of the next version of the standard extended to certain features of object oriented (SQL 3)
• 2003: The next extension of the standard (including the inclusion of the XML standard) SQL fourth

Native SQL is still being developed and it is difficult to predict what developments will be selected, and the answer to this question will provide new versions of the standard.