SQL, or Structured Query Language, is a Microsoft software language that entered the market in 1989 and has been time-tested. Its original use came in departmental and other limited-size databases. However, as organizations’ computing systems became interconnected via servers connected to the internet, Microsoft SQL Server’s role expanded to enable broader enterprise-wide applications. Likewise, Oracle Database and IBM’s DB2, Microsoft SQL Servers’ primary competitors also took on these functions.
The transition to an interconnected platform requires individuals to plan, organize, and manage these processes to ensure they function reliably while providing access to those who need it and restricting access to all others.
The process described in the previous sentence is considered Microsoft SQL server administration. The growth of Microsoft SQL Server required new software versions every several years to add new functionality for programmers and administrators alike.
Microsoft SQL Server remains a widely used application offering free, limited versions for programmers and organizations with limited needs. Making the product available for free to those users encourages students and others to learn the language and small businesses to use the application, so there is a steady stream of talent able to use the tools and smaller companies that grow into paying customers when their needs require the more fully featured paid versions of the product.
