Unreasonable Effectiveness of SQL
It seems to me SQL is, paradoxically, too low level, much like assembly language, in the sense that it makes you specify the joins. Over and over and over again. Why doesn't it infer them from the structure of the database (the relations between tables)? If the answer is performance, well, that means we are in agreement, and SQL is not high-level..<p>In summary I think a QL should produce a table from a database when provided with 1) the set of field names desired, and 2) the set of constraints on the desired rows. Anything that goes beyond this is in need of justification.<p>It is for this impedance mismatch (of understanding) that I have an aversion against SQL (therefore I am not well-versed). I basically see SQL as an exercise in complexity, resulting from the constraints prevalent in the seventies. Please prove me wrong!