Expanding Your Database Vocabulary
Now that you have walked through the process of building an Access database from scratch, a few more terms that will help you in the coming chapters as we connect our database to our Web application. I'll cover these briefly because they will be covered in later chapters in full detail.
Database Connections
A database connection is a string of code that is stored in your Web pages that tells the page where the database is located, what type of database it is, and in what manner the pages should connect to the database.
Learning Access
Be aware that as you begin learning about database connections, the technical jargon can really make your head spin. When discussing the topic, abbreviations like DSN, ODBC, ADO, OLEDB, and RDO are tossed around. Don't worry. They eventually start to make sense and then you'll know you have been sucked into the world of dynamic applications.
Structured Query Language
The Structured Query Language is a programming language that is used to interact with databases. A string of code written in SQL is commonly referred to as a SQL query and these queries can be used to select, insert, update, and delete data from a database using your database connection. Although most SQL commands work for a wide variety of databases, there are some differences that occur between vendors and applications. For a good introduction to SQL, check out Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes (Sams, 2001) by Ben Forta. It's a great primer on the Structured Query Language.
SEEKWULL or ES CUE EL?
During a conversation with your fellow tech-heads, if you ever feel like you are in over your head and want to change the topic, just mention the pronunciation of SQL. As the acronym for Structure Query Language, many hardcore database administrators insist on the correct pronunciation of Es Cue El. It has been my observation, however, that as the popularity of SQL has grown, so has the acceptance of the SeeKwull pronunciation. Either way, you'll be wrong in someone's eyes and right in someone else'sand it makes for fun water cooler conversations.