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From: csr@druhi.UUCP (RoushCS)
Newsgroups: net.database
Subject: ANSI SQL2 standard - users beware :-)
Message-ID: <1287@druhi.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-Oct-86 12:46:37 EST
Article-I.D.: druhi.1287
Posted: Wed Oct 29 12:46:37 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Oct-86 06:59:36 EST
Organization: AT&T Information System Labs, Denver, Co
Lines: 37
Keywords: why bother


  After looking briefly at the proposed ANSI standard for SQL and
talking to one member of the committee, I am mystified!  The standard
does not include any definition of an interactive query language.
Gosh, I thought SQL started as a query language.
  This does not mean that vendors will throw away their query language
implementations, just that there is no standard for an interactive
version of the language.
  So what, you say? 
- "select * from employee" (where employee is a valid table) is NOT a 
  valid command.  Neither is "select empname from employee" (where empname
  is a valid column).  (They are valid as part of a 'cursor declaration',
  but not as stand-alone statements).
- There is no way to delete a table, you can delete all the rows (records),
  but not the table.
- The only place the "create table ..." expression is valid is as PART of
  a "create schema" statement.  This is the only statement in the 'data
  definition language'.  Yes, a different language (with only one
  statement type) is required when you create tables.

  What does this mean?  I think it means that there will be no guarantee
of portability for programs written in the interactive versions of SQL
that are out there.  But, take heart, they are standardizing the
interface to PL/1.  (OK, this is a cheap shot, they also are
standardizing the interfaces to C, fortran, pascal, ...).

  Am I just confused about all this?  Anybody care to comment?

p.s.
  Hey committee: is it intentional that there are no delimiters between
<schema elements> and no terminator for a <schema> statement?

steve roush
AT&T Information Systems
Denver, CO
303-538-4860
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