SQL Server uses Transact-SQL, a version of the Structured Query Language (SQL), as its database query and programming language. SQL is a set of commands that allows you to specify the information that you want to retrieve or modify. With Transact-SQL, you can access data and query, update, and manage relational database systems.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Standards Organization (ISO) have defined standards for SQL. Transact-SQL supports the latest ANSI SQL standard published in 1992, called ANSI SQL-92, plus many extensions to provide increased functionality...

A relational database is a collection of data organized in two-dimensional tables consisting of named columns and rows. Each table represents the mathematical concept of a relation as defined in set theory. In set theory, columns are known as attributes and rows are known as tuples. The operations that may be performed on tables are similarly based on manipulation of relations to produce new relations, usually referred to as queries or views.

Relational databases differ from non-relational databases in that the database user is not aware of system dependencies that may be stored within the data. No knowledge of the underlying database is required; data can be queried and updated using standard languages (these languages together make up SQL) that produce a consistent result. SQL Server databases are relational....

The terms client/server can be used to refer to very general concepts or specific items of hardware or software. Technically, it refers to any two cooperating processes.

Aclient is any component of a system that requests services or resources from other system components....

Microsoft SQL Server or MSSQL is a powerfull client/server relational database management system (RDBMS) produced by Microsoft. SQL Server is based on the ANSI SQL 92 standard and it is a complete database system.

SQL Server helps you build, deploy, and manage enterprise applications. At the center of SQL Server is the SQL Server engine, which processes the database commands. The process runs inside Windows and understands only connections and SQL commands....