• Declarative Nature: SQL is primarily a declarative language, meaning you specify what you want to retrieve or manipulate from the database, rather than how to achieve it. You define the outcome, and the database management system (DBMS) determines the most efficient way to execute the query.
• Data Manipulation: SQL allows users to perform various operations on data stored in relational databases. These operations include querying data (SELECT), inserting new records (INSERT), updating existing records (UPDATE), and deleting records (DELETE).
• Data Definition: SQL also provides commands for defining the structure of the database, such as creating tables (CREATE TABLE), altering table structure (ALTER TABLE), and dropping tables (DROP TABLE). These commands help in defining the schema of the database.
• Data Control: SQL includes commands for managing access to the database, such as granting and revoking privileges to users (GRANT, REVOKE), creating and managing users (CREATE USER, ALTER USER), and creating roles (CREATE ROLE) to group and manage user permissions.
• Data Integrity: SQL supports constraints to ensure data integrity within the database, such as PRIMARY KEY, FOREIGN KEY, UNIQUE, and CHECK constraints. These constraints enforce rules and relationships between data elements, preventing inconsistencies and ensuring data accuracy.
• Transaction Control: SQL provides commands for managing database transactions, such as committing transactions (COMMIT), rolling back transactions (ROLLBACK), and setting transaction isolation levels. These features ensure data consistency and reliability, especially in multi-user environments.
• Portability: SQL is a standardized language, with various versions defined by ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and ISO (International Organization for Standardization). While different database management systems may have proprietary extensions, the core SQL syntax remains consistent across platforms, enhancing portability.
• Optimization: SQL queries can be optimized to improve performance by considering factors such as indexing, query execution plans, and data retrieval strategies. Understanding SQL optimization techniques is essential for efficient database operations, especially in large-scale applications.
• Scalability: SQL databases can scale horizontally (across multiple machines) or vertically (by increasing resources on a single machine) to handle growing data volumes and user loads. SQL provides features and best practices for designing scalable database architectures.

The primary objective of SQL is to provide a standardized and efficient means of interacting with relational databases, enabling users to store, retrieve, manipulate, and manage data effectively while ensuring data integrity, security, and performance.