Re: Code in the database or middle tier (the CLR controversy)

Serge Rielau wrote:

> I think this is where we disagree. You appear to claim that TSQL,
> PL/SQL, SQL/PSM are SQL and hence RDBMS friendly.

[Quoted] Not at all: That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that those who are using them are far more likely to have training in RDBMSs and thus be more knowledgeable and more competent.

> If you take a look at the procedural constructs of each of these SQL
> "extensions" you can mess things up equally fine as with VB, Java or C#.
> A VB programmer will have little difficulty using the procedural
> constructs of any of these SQL extensions today because they are
> procedural.

My point has nothing to do with what the language, with extensions, can or can not do. This is not about the language: It is about the practitioners that know the language.

> In fact, doesn't Oracle support PL/SQL as an application language?

Au contraire. But that is not relevant to the point I am trying to make so ignore this please.

> Are programmers using PL/SQL on the app side any smarter w.r.t.
> relational SQL than those using VB? Do they write better SQL because
> they use PL/SQL?

[Quoted] Yes. Yes. Yes.

> IMHO, there is nothing inherintly worse in VB/SQL compared to PL/SQL...

Other than speed and scalability and security? But that is irrelevant [Quoted] to what I have been trying to communicate. This isn't about the language or its capabilities.

> While VB/SQL locks you into Windows PL/SQL locks you into Oracle.
> Rather obvious considering the respective owners....

Also irrelevant to my point.

> Cheers
> Serge

Once again ... those with formal schooling in relational databases, thus those writing T-SQL, PL/SQL, SQL/PSM, etc. are also going to have a stronger skill set with respect to normalization, proper use of constraints, issues related to security and scalability, etc.

This is not to say that you could not use VB effectively. But it is to say that your competence would to a great degree be predicated on the fact that you understand what you are doing: The language is irrelevant.

-- 
Daniel A. Morgan
http://www.psoug.org
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
(replace x with u to respond)