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Transact-SQL, an extension to the SQL database programming language, is a powerful language offering many features--a wide variety of datatypes, temporary objects, system and extended stored procedures, scrollable cursors, conditional processing, transaction control, exception and error handling, and much more. We'll introduce those features later in this chapter in the section "What is Transact-SQL?" Before getting to Transact-SQL specifics, however, we'll provide some background information that will help you get a feel for the overall database environment in which Transact-SQL operates. After we explain the basic differences between ANSI SQL and Transact-SQL, we'll jump back to more generalized topics. We'll cover the genesis of the relational database model and its impact on SQL programming languages. We'll talk a bit about normalizing data and introduce you to the idea of row-processing and set-processing information technology. We'll spend a little time talking about the history of SQL Server in general. Finally, we'll introduce many of the features of the Transact-SQL programming language itself.

Saving Time on the Command Line 28.1. What's Special About the Unix Command Line One of Unix's best features is the shell's command line. Why? Nearly every modern operating system has a command line; we don't use card readers with obscure job setup cards any more. What makes Unix's special?The Unix shell command line of shortcuts. Some of these you'll find in other operating systems; some you won't.

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