SQL is an acronym for Structured Query Language and is the name of the most
important tool for defining and manipulating relational databases. The develop-
ment of SQL began in the mid-1970s at the IBM San Jose Research Laboratory.
The success of an experimental IBM database system (known as System R) that
incorporated SQL compelled a number of software manufacturers to join IBM
in developing relational database systems that incorporated SQL. In 1982, the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) initiated the development of a
standard for a query language for relational database systems, it opted for SQL
as its prototype. The resulting ANSI standard, issued in 1986, was adopted as
an International Standard by the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) in 1987