This book is about the Structured Query Language (SQL), the standard language used to communicate with any relational database. Relational databases are one of the most popular data-management solutions, and many vendor software implementations of SQL are available for organizations and individuals. The text does not focus on a specific implementation of SQL, but Oracle is used for most of the examples because it is a leading database-management software product that adheres closely to the SQL standard. In the upcoming hours, you learn how to apply the SQL standard from a practical standpoint, using real-world examples and hands-on exercises. You can use almost any SQL implementation with this book, which attests to the portability of SQL and its popularity.