Database search

- Our next challenge involves the needle in a haystack.…Search is arguably the most important function…of any database.…Combing a vast haystack of data…for a specific needle of information…is one of the most common computing tasks.…Google alone processes over 40,000 searches every second.…That's almost a million searches since I started talking.…If you're only combing a 30-line spreadsheet,…search can be pretty easy.…In fact, it might be just as easy to browse around…as it is to use the Find dialogue.…

Unfortunately, many databases are large…containing terabytes or petabytes of information.…It wouldn't be practical to page through the data…looking for a specific value.…Likewise, searches can be complex.…It's one thing to look for a known number,…but it's more difficult to look for something…like say the highest salary of dog walkers…in states with rainfall higher than the national average.…That kind of complex search requires a database…with a sophisticated query language.…

Structured Query Language or SQL is the most common,…