SUMMARY: NEEDED - SQL Summary

A few days ago I asked this innocent question (on 15 newsgroups, granted):

>Hello Networld!
>
>I seek a grammar for the relational database language SQL. I am
>constructing a parser for SQL in C, so I plan to take this grammar and run
>it through YACC and LEX.
>
>A YACC/LEX ready text file would be most desirable, though any working
>grammar, no matter how it's formatted, will do. Any hints to lead me to
>such a grammar are also appreciated.

Boy did *that* open up a can of worms. Good worms, but worms still the same. To summarize this summary, I did get a yacc/lex grammar. I also got a BNF grammar, an offer for some new ANSI grammars, and the name of lots of potential archives. So net people, don't lose hope! If you really want something out there that you KNOW should be out there, you can find it. All you need is NEWS (la la la la), all you need is NEWS... (and a little help from an ARCHIE)

BIG NOTE: Thomas Kirsche (Thomas.Kirsche_at_informatik.uni-erlangen.de) sent me a reply that was a summary of his similar request for a grammar a few months back. This post is an amalgam of his summary and the other direct replies to my post.

I got lists from ARCHIE sites around the world. Much thanks to Matt Atterbury (matt_at_bacchus.esa.oz.au), Nirad Sharma (nirad_at_newdelphi.ceu.uq.oz.au), and Dave Dawkins (djd_at_valhalla). I found the grammar at the ftp site lth.se under the name 'SQL.source.Z' in directory pub/netnews/alt.sources/volume90/oct. Sweden is probably *not* the closest source for this grammar, but with the one ARCHIE list that I had at the time lth.se seemed to be the site that had what I was looking for. The grammar is one that was written by Leroy Cain in 1990 and includes a LEX grammar, a YACC grammar, the parser/lexical analyzer generated from those grammars, a utility for generating variations on ANSI-SQL (embedded, module, and internal), a makefile, and of course the obligatory README file.

Hans Nikolaus Schaller (hns_at_ldv.e-technik.tu-muenchen.de) and Charles (hemphill_at_lingua.csc.ti.com) gave me leads on the book "The SQL Standard: A Complete Reference." Thanks especially to Charles for sending me the typed BNF grammar for SQL from that book.

Mike Marolda (marolda_at_posc.org) mentioned that Abraxas Software, Inc "packages a C lexical analyzer and YACC grammer for SQL with their PCYACC package. Their package costs ~$500 but there are no problems with taking their grammer and moving it to other YACC implementations. They can be contacted at:

   ABRAXAS Software, Inc.
   7033 SW Macadam Ave.
   Portland Oregon 97219 USA
   Phone: (503) 244-5253
   Fax: (503) 244-8375"

Robert_at_metropolis.com also mentioned the ABRAXAS-SQL connection.

John Levine (johnl_at_iecc.cambridge.ma.us) says "There's a yacc/lex SQL grammar in the comp.compilers archive. Either FTP it from primost.cs.wisc.edu or get it by mailing 'send sql.shar' to compilers-server_at_iecc.cambridge.ma.us". John is the moderator for comp.compilers.

Janet (prichard_at_cs.uri.edu) says "I just happened across this the other day in my quest for a public domain database package which supports SQL. It looks like you can get what your looking for at the following location:

anonymous ftp... animal-farm.nevada.edu   /pub/sql.shar" ... "It seems to
include a YACC/LEX ready text file..."  She also asks if I know of any PD
database packages which support SQL.  I don't -- what about anyone else out

So that leaves me with the SQL grammar in BNF and in yacc/lex. I also have an exhaustive list of FTP sites with the files with the word SQL in them. Anyone who would like a copy of the grammar(s) or the FTP sites just give me a ring. Thanks.

        -ds

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