A SQL engine is defined as software that recognizes and interprets SQL commands to access a relational database and interrogate data. A SQL database engine is also commonly referred to as a SQL engine or a SQL query engine.
A typical SQL server database engine includes both a storage engine and the query processor. There are different SQL server database engine architectures depending on the SQL engine type. However, almost all of the systems that are used to create, read, update and delete (CRUD) data from a database generally have a SQL engine at its core.
Presto is a high performance, distributed SQL query engine for big data that is community-driven open-source software released under the Apache License. Users can query a variety of data sources such as Hadoop, AWS S3, MySQL, Cassandra, Kafka, and MongoDB. Data can even be queried from multiple data sources within a single query. And users don’t have to move their data; it can be queried in place.
There are two types of Presto servers: coordinators and workers. The Presto coordinator parses statements, plans queries, and manages Presto worker nodes. Acting as the “brain” of a Presto installation, the coordinator is also the node to which a client connects for submitting statements to execute. Each Presto installation requires a Presto coordinator in addition to one or more Presto workers.
The coordinator monitors each worker’s activity and coordinates the query execution. It creates a logical model of a query and then translates it into a series of connected tasks that will run on a Presto worker cluster.
A Presto worker is a server in a Presto installation that executes tasks and processes data. When a Presto worker process starts up, it lets the discovery server in the coordinator know it is available to the Presto coordinator to execute tasks. Worker nodes fetch data from connectors and exchange intermediate data with each other. The coordinator then fetches the results from the workers and returns the final results to the client.
The underlying system that a database uses to create, retrieve, update, and delete data is referred to as a database engine. Most database management systems (DBMS) include their own application programming interface (API) that allows users to interact with the underlying engine without having to go through the DBMS’s interface. A database engine can handle multiple users, transactions, buffers and caches, ACID, as well as different isolation levels.
A SQL database engine is also commonly referred to as a SQL engine or a SQL query engine. A database engine collects and interprets SQL commands so the appropriate operations can be performed on a relational database. A SQL database engine’s main job is to create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) data from a database.
The two main components of a database engine are a storage engine and a query processor. If you have a lot of data stored and want to bring analytics to it, a database query engine is the best tool for the job. Examples of SQL database engines include Presto, Cloudera Impala, Apache Spark, and Apache Drill.
Presto is an open source, widely adopted, ANSI SQL query engine for data platform teams. Presto supports a large variety of use cases, from user-facing reporting applications to multi-hour ETL jobs that can join terabytes of data. Presto is a highly adaptable, flexible, and extensible query engine, making it an ideal choice for accessing and querying data in place on many different data sources. For more information, check out the Presto Foundation, which is focused on supporting and sustaining the Presto community.