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A critique of the SQL database language

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C. J. DateAuthors Info & Claims

ACM SIGMOD Record, Volume 14, Issue 3

Pages 8 - 54

https://doi.org/10.1145/984549.984551

Published: 01 November 1984 Publication History

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Abstract

The ANS Database Committee (X3H2) is currently at work on a proposed standard relational database language (RDL), and has adopted as a basis for that activity a definition of the "structured query language" SQL from IBM [10]. Moreover, numerous hardware and software vendors (in addition to IBM) have already released or at least announced products that are based to a greater or lesser extent on the SQL language as defined by IBM. There can thus be little doubt that the importance of that language will increase significantly over the next few years. Yet the SQL language is very far from perfect. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical analysis of the language's major shortcomings, in the hope that it may be possible to remedy some of the deficiencies before their influence becomes too all-pervasive. The paper's standpoint is primarily that of formal computer languages in general, rather than that of database languages specifically.

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Shute JBales SBrown MBrowne JDolphin BKudtarkar RLitvinov AMa JMorcos JShen MWilhite DWu XYu L(2024)SQL Has Problems. We Can Fix Them: Pipe Syntax In SQLProceedings of the VLDB Endowment10.14778/3685800.368582617:12(4051-4063)Online publication date: 8-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.14778/3685800.3685826
Kuznetsov S(2024)Typed Unknown Values: A Step towards Solving the Problem of Missing Data Representation in Relational DatabasesProgramming and Computing Software10.1134/S036176882470025750:7(532-548)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1134/S0361768824700257
Litvinenko IWei ZLink S(2021)Modelling Entity Integrity for Semi-structured Big DataDatabase Systems for Advanced Applications10.1007/978-3-030-73194-6_9(113-120)Online publication date: 11-Apr-2021
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A critique of the SQL database language
1. Information systems
  1. Data management systems
2. Theory of computation
  1. Theory and algorithms for application domains
    1. Database theory

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ACM SIGMOD Record Volume 14, Issue 3

November 1984

103 pages

ISSN:0163-5808

DOI:10.1145/984549

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Published: 01 November 1984

Published in SIGMOD Volume 14, Issue 3

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Shute JBales SBrown MBrowne JDolphin BKudtarkar RLitvinov AMa JMorcos JShen MWilhite DWu XYu L(2024)SQL Has Problems. We Can Fix Them: Pipe Syntax In SQLProceedings of the VLDB Endowment10.14778/3685800.368582617:12(4051-4063)Online publication date: 8-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.14778/3685800.3685826
Kuznetsov S(2024)Typed Unknown Values: A Step towards Solving the Problem of Missing Data Representation in Relational DatabasesProgramming and Computing Software10.1134/S036176882470025750:7(532-548)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1134/S0361768824700257
Litvinenko IWei ZLink S(2021)Modelling Entity Integrity for Semi-structured Big DataDatabase Systems for Advanced Applications10.1007/978-3-030-73194-6_9(113-120)Online publication date: 11-Apr-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-030-73194-6_9
Taipalus T(2020)Explaining Causes Behind SQL Query Formulation Errors2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)10.1109/FIE44824.2020.9274114(1-9)Online publication date: 21-Oct-2020
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López-González JSerrano J(2020)The optics of language-integrated queryScience of Computer Programming10.1016/j.scico.2020.102395190:COnline publication date: 1-May-2020
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Chen YLi SYao J(2018)Processing Missing Information in Big Data EnvironmentData Mining and Big Data10.1007/978-3-319-93803-5_60(638-648)Online publication date: 17-Jun-2018
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Chavan AHuang SDeshpande AElmore AMadden SParameswaran AMissier PZhao J(2015)Towards a unified query language for provenance and versioningProceedings of the 7th USENIX Conference on Theory and Practice of Provenance10.5555/2814579.2814584(5-5)Online publication date: 8-Jul-2015
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