# Basic Syntax

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### What is Structured Query Language?

Structured Query Language, or SQL, is a special-purpose programming language used to manage data within a relational database management system (RDBMS).

You will find that there are multiple ways to write the same query in SQL, and some ways are better than others.

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### Two Parts of SQL

**Data Definition Language (DDL):** DDL includes commands to create a table, to drop a table, or create and drop other aspects of a database.

**Data Manipulation Language (DML):** DML includes commands that are used to query and modify a database. It includes the select statement for querying the database, and the insert, update, and delete statements, all for modifying the database.