Question:
I would appreciate an introductory definition/summary of ISQL (Interactive SQL?).
Answer:
As you’ve guessed, ISQL is an acronym for Interactive SQL. In general,ISQL describes any tool or interface that allows you to type SQLcommands and have them processed by the database, with the results returnedto you. This often is a useful way to determine how best to construct aquery, or to find specific data when there’s no need to make the query partof the application that normally accesses the database (ad-hoc queries).
Most commonly, ISQL is used by database administrators (DBAs) to define ormodify tables, constraints, permissions, etc. along with other internalfunctions that keep the database at peak performance.
You will find some tools that have incorporated the generic term, ISQL,into their product name. In those cases, the description above usuallyapplies, but “ISQL” may refer to a specific product rather than the generalclass of tools.
