Against SQL
I wonder how much of the limitation are necessary in order for the query optimizer to have any chance at finding a good execution plan. As you add more and more abstractions and more and more general computations in the middle of your queries, it will probably become harder and harder for the query optimizer to understand what you are actually trying to do and figure out how to do it efficiently. Are you not running the risk that the database will have to blindly scan through entire tables calling your user defined functions as black boxes on each row?<p>I would also guess that we could have a better SQL but I do not think it could and should look anything like a general purpose programming language because otherwise you might get in the way of efficient query execution. Maybe some kind of declarative data flow description with sufficient facilities to name and reuse bits and pieces.<p>And maybe you actually want two languages which SQL with its procedural parts already kind of has. One limited but well optimizable language to actually access the data, one more general language to perform additional processing without having to leave the server. Maybe the real problem of SQL lies mostly in its procedural part and how it interfaces and interacts with the query part.