SQL coding standard - upper/lower case! (Sophisticated TROLL!)
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 03:58:49 GMT
Message-ID: <ZBfq1.35$Ys2.1149730_at_news.rdc1.ne.home.com>
My SQL coding style is the opposite of the Oracle manuals, popular books, and practically every other written source. I developed it before the present SQL "standards" were established. (If you doubt this, just check out the v2 SQL or SQL*Plus manuals and the literature of their day). I have good reasons and am adamant about not changing - mine make more sense!
begin
select NAME
from PERSON
where SSN = 999-99-9999;
end;
/
In most programing languages, it is common to use uppercase for reserved words. However, those reserved words appear much less frequently. In SQL or PL/SQL, using uppercase for all reserved words makes it look like one of those pyramid scheme posts!
Furthermore, the data dictionary uses uppercase as the default for case insensitive names. As a DBA, I use a lot of dynamically generated code that "naturally" contains uppercase where the style guides insist on lowercase.
On my cynical days (which is most of them), I suspect that the current convention is what it is because of one or more of the folowing:
- Style guide writers have to eat, too. (They may not have to code though!)
- Dumbing down of America. (Teach them something new???! Too confusing!)
The only reason for their choice, as far as I can tell, is to adhere to the same conventions as used in most other languages. (ACK! A "legacy system"!)
So...
Am I a hopeless eccentric? (In this too???) Or is the world headed for SQL hell with billions of lines of UPPERCASE?
Let the games begin!
-OraSarus Received on Mon Jul 13 1998 - 05:58:49 CEST