Re: Is SQL a 4GL? No?

SQL is really what it says it is, a query language, and it's in fact the standard query language. That's why object DBMSes are starting to feature SQL. It's not much of a programming language, however, and the programs you can write with it are limited to data-query programs. That's why you find all RDBMS vendors selling "precompilers" so that you can stick SQL in a procedural language with variables, loops, etc. That's also why all vendors have 4GLs with SQL embedded in them, e.g., Oracle's PL/SQL, Sybase's TransactSQL, Ingres's 4GL, etc. SQL's is non-procedural, but it simply isn't comprehensive enough to do everything you need to do.

As for visual tools for development of event-driven applications, perhaps they do provide what's necessary to turn SQL into a complete non-procedural programming language.

                        Seth Received on Thu Dec 30 1993 - 22:42:18 CET