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SQL, or Structured Query Language, is a domain-specific programming language designed for managing and manipulating data within relational database management systems (RDBMS). It is the standard language for interacting with relational databases, which store data in structured tables consisting of rows and columns.

Here are its key characteristics and uses:

Data Management: SQL enables users to perform various operations on data, including retrieving, inserting, updating, and deleting records within a database.

Relational Databases: It is specifically designed for relational databases, where data is organized into tables with defined relationships between them. This allows for efficient querying and joining of data from multiple tables.

Querying: The "Query" in SQL refers to its primary function: allowing users to ask specific questions of a database to retrieve desired information. This is done through commands like SELECT to specify the data to be retrieved and conditions for filtering.

Data Definition and Manipulation: SQL is used for both Data Definition Language (DDL) and Data Manipulation Language (DML) operations. DDL commands like CREATE TABLE and ALTER TABLE define and modify the structure of database objects, while DML commands like INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE manipulate the data within those structures.

Standardization: SQL is an ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standard, promoting compatibility across different RDBMS platforms, although variations and extensions exist in specific implementations (e.g., MySQL, Oracle SQL, MS SQL Server).

Readability and User-Friendliness: SQL syntax is generally considered relatively easy to learn and understand, using command-like statements that resemble natural language.