Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!mtxinu!rtech!squid!robf
From: robf@squid.rtech.com (Robert Fair (ECSC Tech Support))
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: RDBMS sux, array/vector datatypes
Message-ID: <4022@rtech.rtech.com>
Date: 9 Nov 89 16:08:41 GMT
Sender: news@rtech.rtech.com
Reply-To: robf@squid.UUCP (Robert Fair (ECSC Tech Support))
Distribution: na
Organization: Ingres Corporation.
Lines: 19

Recent posters have commented about the lack of array/vector datatypes
in RDBMS currently available. This is actually an *implementation*
restriction rather than an inherent drawback of RDBMS or SQL.

There's no reason why an RDBMS cannot support an arry/vector datatype,
in fact (plug coming) INGRES just announced a new "Object Management"
extension  to INGRES R6 which allows you to create pretty much any kind 
of datatype you like, including arrays and vectors. You can also create
operators and functions to work with these datatypes - for example if
you want (vector + vector) to work a specific way just define the
appropriate operations for '+'. Once a datatype/operators/functions
has been defined you can access it through SQL just like any regular
"built-in" datatype.

Robert Fair
Ingres Corperation
Technical Support

INGRES and INGRES Object Management are trademarks of Ingres Corperation