Sunday, April 09, 2006

What is Transact-SQL (T-SQL)

In short, T-SQL is a variation of SQL implemented by Microsoft and Sybase for thier SQL Server products. Originally it developed at Sybase. Microsoft came into the picture when they did a partnership with Sybase to create a database server for OS/2. Since then Microsoft and Sybase have pretty much parted ways each developing their products in slightly different directions. Microsoft has made MS SQL Server one of thier key strategic products and has positioned it against Oracle, DB2 and MySQL.

T-SQL is somewhat different in syntax than PL-SQL used by Oracle. 90% of the basics are the same but much of the performance and optimization is different. That said, the basic principals behind T-SQL and PL-SQL are very similar.

Pure ANSI SQL is a language that is essentially not used by anyone due to it's intentially incomplete specification. The SQL specification for example never discusses indexes which is a very important feature of SQL Server. This is only one way in which SQL is a very diffent language than lower level languages such as C++ and VB.

SQL is considered a 4th generation language (4GL). This compares to C++ and VB which are considered 3GL languages. What this means SQL describes to the computer what the programmer wants done, but leaves the actual implementation and algorithm up to the Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). In conventional 3GL languages it is the programmer who developes the algorithm.

Obviously there is no solid line here. In reality there is much poor SQL code that is written in a 3GL style, and there are some object libraries (.Net Framework for example) that have given 3GL languages some 4GL like functionality (data-binding would be an example).

The long and short of it is... if you write your SQL code the same way you write in a 3GL language, your performance will be poor.

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