SQL
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Structured Query Language |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Technology & Computing, Business & Finance |
SQL has two meanings. It stands for Structured Query Language (programming) or Sales-qualified lead (marketing & advertising).
Meanings of SQL at a glance
| # | SQL stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Structured Query Language | Technology & Computing › Programming |
| 2 | Sales-qualified lead | Business & Finance › Marketing & Advertising |
1. Structured Query Language
Technology & Computing · Programming Abbreviations
The standard language for defining, querying and updating data in relational databases, using statements such as SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE. MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle and SQLite all use SQL with their own extensions.
Example: Write a SQL query that returns the ten customers with the highest total orders this year.
Developed at IBM in the early 1970s by Donald Chamberlin and Raymond Boyce, based on Edgar F. Codd's relational model, and first named SEQUEL until a trademark conflict forced the shorter name. ANSI standardized it in 1986 and ISO in 1987, with many revisions since. Both "S-Q-L" and "sequel" are accepted pronunciations, which is why writers disagree between "a SQL query" and "an SQL query". SQL is declarative: a query describes what data to return, not how to find it.
2. Sales-qualified lead
Business & Finance · Marketing & Advertising Abbreviations
Prospect that a salesperson has vetted, typically through a discovery call, and judged to have a genuine need, budget, authority and timeline, making it ready to become a sales opportunity in the pipeline.
Example: Only about 30% of our MQLs turn into SQLs after the discovery call.
SQL is a later funnel stage than MQL and SAL; definitions vary by company and are often based on frameworks such as BANT or MEDDIC. In technology, SQL far more commonly means Structured Query Language, the database language, so context matters.
Related abbreviations
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- SOA – Service-oriented architecture
- SOAP – Simple Object Access Protocol
- SoC – Separation of concerns
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- SRP – Single-responsibility principle
- SRS – Software requirements specification
- STL – Standard Template Library
- SVN – Subversion (Apache Subversion)
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