Why should you care about SQL?

The SQL language has been a data querying standard for many, many years.

The advent of new data architectures to the mainstream market seemed to threaten the future of SQL. The REST APIs, custom querying languages, and data interfaces seemed to gain momentum. 

Yet, pretty much every leading NoSQL technology is associated with a community requesting or implementing an SQL interface to it. For example, Microsoft implemented an SQL interface to their flagship NoSQL/Hybrid product, CosmosDB.

Why? Because most data professionals are familiar with the syntax of SELECT statements, WHERE clauses, JOINs and GROUP BYs. It is easier to move to a new project knowing that you will still be able to use the data without learning completely new syntax. I call it a throw-away syntax, as it mostly applies to one technology only.

Martin Heller wrote a very interesting article describing the history of the language and its origins.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons.