Transact-SQL is a procedural language used on both Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase SQL Server systems. It is a full-featured programming language that dramatically extends the power of SQL (Structured Query Language). The language provides programmers with a broad range of features, including: A rich set of datatypes, including specialized types for identifiers, timestamps, images, and long text fields Local and global variables Fully programmable server objects like views, triggers, stored procedures, and batch command files Conditional processing Exception and error handling Full transaction control System stored procedures that reduce the complexity of many operations, like adding users or automatically generating HTML Web pages In recent years, the versions of Transact-SQL have diverged on Microsoft and Sybase systems; the book explains the differences. It also contains up-to-the-minute information on the latest versions: Microsoft SQL Server versions 6.5 and 7.0 and Sybase version 11.5.