SQL
The standard language for asking a relational database questions and changing its data. Nearly every developer touches it.
What it tells you about a developer
SQL on a profile is close to universal among backend and data developers, so the signal is in the depth. Writing a query is table stakes. Tuning a slow one, or designing the tables it runs against, marks real database experience. In analytics roles SQL is the primary tool of the job rather than a supporting one.
- Type
- Language
- Released
- 1979
- Used in
- BackendData engineering
SQL is how code and people talk to relational databases: one language for reading, adding, and changing data. It has been an industry standard since the 1980s, so it appears in backend, data, and analytics roles alike. Each database adds small dialect differences, and the core carries everywhere.