"A system that organizes data into related rows and columns. SQL Server is a relational database management system." (Microsoft Corporation, "SQL Server 7.0 System Administration Training Kit", 1999)
"A database, built on a model of data as existing in rows and columns, intended to embody the theoretical foundations of relational data that were originally defined by Dr. E. F. Codd at IBM. The Oracle server is one example, along with IBM's DB2, Microsoft's SQL Server, and mySQL." (Bill Pribyl & Steven Feuerstein, "Learning Oracle PL/SQL", 2001)
"Database management system based on the relational model that supports the full range of standard SQL. Uses a series of joined tables with rows and columns to organize and store data." (Ralph Kimball & Margy Ross, "The Data Warehouse Toolkit 2nd Ed ", 2002)
"A system that organizes data into related rows and columns. SQL Server is a relational database management system." (Anthony Sequeira & Brian Alderman, "The SQL Server 2000 Book", 2003)
"A system used to create, edit, and manage relational databases." (Johannes Link & Peter Fröhlich, "Unit Testing in Java", 2003)
"The controlling software for databases in which data is organized into related objects within a database rather than tied to a file. Each of these objects is related to another in some way." (Thomas Moore, "EXAM CRAM™ 2: Designing and Implementing Databases with SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition", 2005)
"A system that uses a database that contains tables with data. The management system part is the part allowing you access to that database, and the power to manipulate both the database and the data contained within it." (Gavin Powell, "Beginning Database Design", 2006)
"Software that organizes manipulates and retrieves data stored in a relational database." (S. Sumathi & S. Esakkirajan, "Fundamentals of Relational Database Management Systems", 2007)
"A system that organizes data into related rows and columns. SQL Server is an RDBMS." (Jim Joseph, "Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services Unleashed", 2009)
"A database management system whose architecture is based on Dr. E. F. Codd’s relational theory. That is, it stores data in terms of simple, two dimensional tables." (David C Hay, "Data Model Patterns: A Metadata Map", 2010)
"Type of DBMS that uses SQL to store data in related tables." (Martin Oberhofer et al, "The Art of Enterprise Information Architecture", 2010)
"A collection of programs that manages a relational database. The RDBMS software translates a user’s logical requests (queries) into commands that physically locate and retrieve the requested data. A good RDBMS also creates and maintains a data dictionary (system catalog) to help provide data security, data integrity, concurrent access, easy access, and system administration to the data in the database through a query language (SQL) and application programs." (Carlos Coronel et al, "Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management" 9th Ed., 2011)
"A database system that organizes data into related rows and columns as specified by a relational model." (Microsoft, "SQL Server 2012 Glossary", 2012)
"A database management system that organizes data in defined tables. " (Marcia Kaufman et al, "Big Data For Dummies", 2013)
"A collection of hardware and software that organizes and provides access to a relational database." (Sybase, "Open Server Server-Library/C Reference Manual", 2019)