What is T-SQL?
T-SQL or Transact-SQL is an extension of the Structured Query Language (SQL) from Microsoft, that has additional transactional structures or aspects from SQL and used to operate any of the SQL server-based relational databases. This extension is to include multiple new characteristics such as handling of exceptions, errors, operation regulations, procedures based, string & date functions, minor upgrades in few existing functions like Delete and update, in addition to the existing SQL functions.
It comprises of few add on features over SQL like transaction control, declared variables, exception handling functions for mathematical operations, string operations, date and time processing. These additional features significantly represent the generality of the language.
SQL vs T-SQL
Although T-SQL provides dominant features, choosing between SQL and T-SQL is independently up to individual needs. It is predominantly preferred when an application involves the installation of Microsoft SQL servers. Whereas SQL is mainly preferred for implementation of reporting techniques.
SQL is a data-oriented language which process basic queries like insert, update and delete. whereas TSQL is a transactional language used to create the applications, adding core service into the application. SQL uses DDL and DML statements manipulating objects; T-SQL uses step by step procedures views, functions, triggers on objects towards a database
The SQL Statement can be embedded into T-SQL, whereas T-SQL cannot be embedded into the SQL statement. SQL is capable of executing a single statement at a time but TSQL executes a load of statements at a time using different control and iteration structures.
Unlike other languages, T-SQL yields a high degree of manipulative control to the programmers, which is why T-SQL is easily integrated with Business tools like Dynamics and PowerBI.
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Advantages of using T-SQL
With the obvious difference between SQL and T-SQL, let’s dive deeper to picture the benefits of implementing T-SQL over plain SQL:
Modularity: With a vast shift of technologies towards microservices and modularized architecture, T-SQL adheres to modular programming. This can aid a fast-paced development and reduce dependency within a project.
Security: Composite procedures are stored in the server with proprietary security measure as a trade secret. It is built with aided logging and transaction knowledge in the environment and thus promoting reliability.
Efficiency: It minimizes traffic over the server. the jobs being run with data are processed with minimal overhead when being transferred within the application. Thus complex nontrivial jobs can be solved at ease with T-SQL.
In Finance paradigm, where security is significant concern plain SQL can directly expose DB server as potential threats. It eliminates such threats and enables better handling of sensitive data. It is also often referred to as ‘SQL for Bankers’
User-defined functions in T-SQL facilitates better structuring of transactions in e-commerce websites with optimized efficient stored procedures. SAP adaptive server considers and opts that it provides efficient data processing functionality.
Working with T-SQL
It is now very clear that T-SQL is more than just proprietary plain SQL implementation. It is becoming an essential skill for developer and data professionals. For people who have been working with traditional SQL, the transition towards T-SQL will seem easy.
One in-house feature is custom functions where the user can define own functions. Besides T-SQL also has inbuilt functionalities including aggregate functions, analytical functions, and major scalar functions. It can configure mathematical notations inside queries from basic to advanced trigonometric functions.
An elegant way of writing procedural programs, subroutines and functions make the code compact, readable and less vulnerable. This has enabled T-SQL more powerful to do analysis and business operations on data.
As a Microsoft product, T-SQL as an enterprise edition can serve the project best, with supreme business integration viability.
Required Skills
Skills required for a T-SQL developer is merely the same as an SQL developer. Precisely T-SQL developer possess following core skills :
1. Reviewing and Optimizing the performance of a Query.
2. Designing and developing tables aiding to the principles and architecture required.
3. Articulate experience in designing programming views, procedural and transactional programming
4. Understanding the implementation of a cloud with a database can be an added advantage.
Major Features of SQL
1. Procedural programming
2. Various computational, scalar and mathematical support functions
3. Data manipulation commands with FROM clause that can be used along with Join operations
4. BULK INSERT functionality to import large data file.
Scope
Clients around the world continue to create and update their systems along with the shift in the technology paradigm. A Strong base of T-SQL knowledge will be more essential in the road ahead towards the data science world.
However, just the foundation of T-SQL will not be sufficient, rather building a complementary experience on skillset including R/Python will drive T-SQL developer into data science. It has a broad space in big data. It completely depends on the objective of individual and the factors influencing the future of T-SQL is subjective. With a frequency shift in the industrial landscape, it seems to be a very fit dimension towards where the industry is shaping.
Data vaults are evolving in the space where CRM and ERP also need an evolved way of a computational solution to look data as way more descriptive, prescriptive and cognitive. Massively Parallel processing platforms have been emerging quickly, in which T-SQL fits rightly better than the traditional SQL.
Conclusion
Precisely T-SQL is more robust and reliable. The additional features have made it a Turing complete language representing the universal acclaim.
SQL is not Turing complete. Thus it can be precisely referred to as powerful computational language moving forward irrelevant of the advancement occurring in the industry.
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