It's not just SQL the language. You also need to decide where you implement stuff - in the database, or in the app. I've seen applications written where almost

It's not just SQL the language. You also need to decide where you implement stuff - in the database, or in the app. I've seen applications written where almost all the logic is in stored procedures, triggers and functions, and others where just straightforward DML is used. "Best practice" can vary widely, from banning stored procedures altogether, to forcing all access to be through them. And the point someone else made about putting SQL together as text is very valid. I used the Roguewave C++ libraries for generating SQL a few years back. Whilst it was quite clever, and useful in some circumstances, most of the time is was a real pain to figure out how to express SQL in C++.