pass instructions to databases. SQL commands can be keyed into a database client like MySQL Query Browser or SQL

Server Enterprise Manager and executed to either return a result or modify records in database. SQL can also be used in

conjunction with programming language or scripting language like Microsoft Visual Basic or PHP to communicate with

database.

Although SQL is a world standard, it is unfortunate that most database vendors have come up with different dialects and

variations. This is because every database vendor wants to differentiate their database products from crowd. One good

example is Microsoft SQL Server's TRANSACT-SQL. TRANSACT-SQL is a superset of SQL and is designed for use only with Microsoft

SQL Server. Although it does make programming much easier for software developers, it is not compliant with other databases

like Oracle or MySQL - making TRANSACT-SQL programs non database-portable. As such, although many of these features are

powerful and robust, it is good practice to exercise caution and limit your SQL use to be compliant with ANSI/ISO SQL

standards and ODBC-Compliant.

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