- A DB user initiates SQL requests
- Each SQL statement can access one or many tables in the DB
- The SQL statement is sent to the DBMS, whereupon the query is analyzed, optimized, and executed.
- The DBMS formulates the access path to the data and upon completion of the request,
- The desired information is presented to the user as a set of columns and rows (table).
- The result will consist of one or more columns with zero, one or many rows.