# SQL-92

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1992 edition of the SQL standard

SQL-92 First published November 1992 Domain SQL

SQL language revisions SQL-86 SQL-89 SQL-92 SQL:1999 SQL:2003 SQL:2006 SQL:2008 SQL:2011 SQL:2016 SQL:2023 v t e

**SQL-92** (also called SQL 2) was the third revision of the [SQL](/source/SQL) [database](/source/Database) [query language](/source/Query_language). Unlike SQL-89, it was a major revision of the standard. Aside from a few minor incompatibilities, the SQL-89 standard is forward-compatible with SQL-92.

The standard specification itself grew about five times compared to SQL-89. Much of it was due to more precise specifications of existing features; the increase due to new features was only by a factor of 1.5–2. Many of the new features had already been implemented by vendors before the new standard was adopted.[1] However, most of the new features were added to the "intermediate" and "full" tiers of the specification, meaning that conformance with SQL-92 entry level was scarcely any more demanding than conformance with [SQL-89](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SQL-89&action=edit&redlink=1).

The next revision is [SQL:1999](/source/SQL%3A1999) (SQL3).

## Related official standard

- ANSI X3.135-1992

- ISO/IEC 9075:1992[2]

- FIPS PUB 127-2

## New features

Significant new features include:[3]

- New data types defined: DATE, TIME, TIMESTAMP, INTERVAL, BIT string, VARCHAR strings, and NATIONAL CHARACTER strings.

- Support for additional [character sets](/source/Character_set) beyond the base requirement for representing SQL statements.

- New scalar operations such as string concatenation and [substring](/source/Substring) extraction, date and time mathematics, and conditional statements.

- New set operations such as UNION, UNION ALL, CROSS JOIN, and formalized JOIN types (INNER JOIN, LEFT JOIN, RIGHT JOIN, FULL OUTER JOIN).

- Conditional expressions with CASE. For an example, see [Case (SQL)](/source/Case_(SQL)).

- Support for alterations of [schema definitions](/source/Data_Definition_Language) via ALTER and DROP.

- Bindings for [C](/source/C_(programming_language)), [Ada](/source/Ada_(programming_language)), and [MUMPS](/source/MUMPS).

- New features for user privileges.

- New integrity-checking functionality such as within a [CHECK constraint](/source/Check_Constraint).

- A new *information schema*—read-only views about database metadata like what tables it contains, etc. For example, SELECT * FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES;.

- Dynamic execution of queries (as opposed to prepared).

- Better support for remote database access.

- Temporary tables; CREATE TEMP TABLE etc.

- [Transaction](/source/Database_transaction) [isolation levels](/source/Isolation_(database_systems)).

- New operations for changing data types on the fly via CAST (expr AS type).

- [Scrolled cursors](/source/Cursor_(databases)#Scrollable_cursors).

- Compatibility flagging for backwards and forwards compatibility with other SQL standards.

## Extensions

Two significant extensions were published after standard (but before the next major iteration.)

- [SQL/CLI](/source/SQL%2FCLI) ([Call Level Interface](/source/Call_Level_Interface)) in 1995

- [SQL/PSM](/source/SQL%2FPSM) ([stored procedures](/source/Stored_procedure)) in 1996

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-MeltonSimon1993_1-0)** Jim Melton; Alan R. Simon (1993). [*Understanding The New SQL: A Complete Guide*](https://archive.org/details/understandingnew00melt/page/11). Morgan Kaufmann. pp. [11–12](https://archive.org/details/understandingnew00melt/page/11). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-55860-245-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-55860-245-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["ISO/IEC 9075:1992"](https://www.iso.org/standard/16663.html). Retrieved 4 June 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [C. J. Date](/source/C._J._Date) with [Hugh Darwen](/source/Hugh_Darwen): *A Guide to the SQL standard : a users guide to the standard database language SQL, 4th ed.*, Addison Wesley, USA 1997, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-201-96426-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-201-96426-4)

## External links

- [The SQL-92 standard](http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~shadow/sql/sql1992.txt)

v t e SQL Versions SEQUEL SQL-86 SQL-89 SQL-92 SQL:1999 SQL:2003 SQL:2006 SQL:2008 SQL:2011 SQL:2016 SQL:2023 Keywords As Case Create Delete From Group by Having Insert Join Merge Null Order by Over Prepare Select Truncate Union Update With Related Edgar Codd Relational database ISO/IEC SQL parts Framework Foundation Call-Level Interface Persistent Stored Modules Management of External Data Object Language Bindings Information and Definition Schemas SQL Routines and Types for the Java Programming Language XML-Related Specifications

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