SQL (structured query language) is an industry standard used by all the major relational DBMS (Access, Oracle, DB2, MySQL, SQL Server, etc.) A given set of SQL code defines some action to either modify a database object (CREATE TABLE, DROP VIEW, etc.) or retrieve/modify data within the database (SELECT,INSERT,etc.) With the exception of the occasional app-specific extension, the syntax of SQL doesn’t vary from app to app…a SELECT is a SELECT regardless of whether it’s in Access or Oracle.

The various transaction languages are app-specific (PL/SQL for Oracle, T-SQL for SQL Server, etc.). What they do is allow creation of procedural scripts which can include SQL code surrounded by logic controlling the circumstances under which the SQL code is executed, as well as methods for communicating with the user. The SQL code may be relatively static with only specific parameters being inserted (typically comparison values in a WHERE clause) or dynamic where the entire SQL string is pieced together based upon the execution of the script. These procedural langages are often similar, but the exact syntax will vary from app to app.

Most DBMS have almost similiar SQL syntax with very minor differences mainly in defining keys or triggers. I recently used MySQL for one of my projects and I used a book of Oracle!!!

But then Oracle is much more than SQL. The command window SQLPLUS* for SQL itself has several functions. Besides PLSQL is an Oracle extension to SQL.

Book by Evan Bayross is a good one. You can always find an ebook for it.

Here is a link for a tutorial if you want to learn more.

Hope this helps…

every database application has their own little SQL type

SQL Server (the one you think you know) uses Trans-ACT whilst Oracle uses some other one (My-SQL), however, the principles are generally the same. Maybe some syntax differences.