Query Languages

Owned by Computer Science Department
Aug 01, 2023
1 min read

A query language in databases is a type of programming language that's designed to facilitate retrieving specific information from databases. They function by interpreting a series of commands that allow the user to find, manipulate, and transform data from databases.

 

The most widely used database query language is SQL (Structured Query Language). SQL allows users to query, update, and reorganize data, as well as create and modify the schema (structure) of a database system, and control access to its data.

Query languages come in different forms based on the database type:

  1. SQL: Used with relational databases like MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, etc. SQL uses a standard interface for accessing and managing data.

  2. NoSQL databases like MongoDB, Cassandra, etc., often have their own custom query languages or APIs.

  3. Query languages like XQuery and XPath are used for querying XML databases.

  4. SPARQL is used for querying RDF databases.

These languages all serve the same basic function, but are optimized for different database architectures and use-cases.