"W3C announced today the publication of SPARQL, the key standard for opening up data on the Semantic Web. With SPARQL query technology, pronounced "sparkle," people can focus on what they want to know rather than on the database technology or data format used behind the scenes to store the data. Because SPARQL queries express high-level goals, it is easier to extend them to unanticipated data sources, or even to port them to new applications. «Trying to use the Semantic Web without SPARQL is like trying to use a relational database without SQL» explained Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director. «SPARQL makes it possible to query information from databases and other diverse sources in the wild, across the Web» ..." via http://www.w3.org/News/2008#item6