Oracle created the database business that began as Software Development Laboratories in 1977.
Larry Ellison, Bob Miner, and Ed Oates founded Software Development Laboratories in 1977. The company developed a relational database system inspired in part by an IBM research paper on the relational model. It later adopted the Oracle name, based on the product that became its flagship.
Oracle became a major enterprise technology provider, selling database software, business applications, cloud infrastructure, and related services. Its database products have long been used by governments, banks, retailers, and other large organizations to store and process structured information.
The company is often confused with the SQL language itself. Oracle produces database software that supports SQL, but SQL is an industry-standard language developed through broader standards work rather than being the name of Oracle’s company or one single proprietary product.