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Databases Reporting with SQL Ordering, Limiting and Paging Results Paging Through Results

I don't understand one thing... What do we mean by "Other Databases" ???

I mean, what do we mean by "Other Databases"? I need clarification on this... I can't google this, can I?

HIDAYATULLAH ARGHANDABI
HIDAYATULLAH ARGHANDABI
21,058 Points

when you are working on database you are working with many tables. or you may be working on two databases at same time. As i watched the video it is working on the limiting function. using this function you find the amonunt of data you want to work with

6 Answers

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,184 Points

The database used in the course is SQLite. The "other databases" would include PostgreSQL, MySQL, MS SQL, and Oracle.

For this particular function, two of the others work the same way as SQLite, and the alternative way to do it in the other 2 is discussed in the Teacher's Notes.

This is the thing, I don't get it... If SQL is a Programming Language, then why does it vary from database to database? I mean, Javascript doesn't vary from site to site. Then why does SQL?

Does this mean that PostgreSQL, MySQL, MS SQL, or Oracle are more like frameworks? Thank you.

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,184 Points

It's a language, but not as heavily standardized as most. The basic language elements tend to be the same, but the companies the produce software that uses it often add on custom extensions that may or may not be adopted by the others.

JavaScript, on the other hand, is one of the most standardized languages since it is used by every browser in the world.

Another way to think of it (for a very broad and not-necessarily the most technically accurate analogy) is to consider the idea of a "database" as analogous to "spreadsheet"/"document"/"presentation slideshow". A lot of people then refer to putting together a "PowerPoint" or an "Excel document" -- even if they're using Keynote or Google Sheets. They're the same basic software serving the same basic service, but there are differences and variations among them.

Or, (not sure if this holds) ..... if you consider that SQL means is a "Structured Query Language", then is it more appropriate to compare the idea of SQL to a broad category like "Object-Oriented Programming Language" than to a specific language like JavaScript? (So just like OOB includes Ruby, Java, C# .... SQL includes MySQL, SQLite, etc.)

I see... So can I oversimplify things and say that different companies come out with different versions of SQL? Does that mean, anyone can make up a version of SQL and there's a huge possibility that it'll get accepted by developers?

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,184 Points

The existing companies have been well established for a long time. Today, a company creating a new and unique version might not be readily accepted unless it provided a great improvement in performance (or price/performance ratio).

Ah. That clarifies things a lot. Thank you. One last thing, if different companies came out with different versions of SQL, then why are they called "DATABASES" AND NOT "VERSIONS". Won't that be more legitimate?

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,184 Points

I think the term "database" is short for "database version" or "database variant".

Thank you, Steven Parker.