An implementation technique for database query languages

  • Authors:
  • Peter Buneman;Robert E. Frankel;Rishiyur Nikhil

  • Affiliations:
  • Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia;General Research Corp., Santa Barbara, CA;Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

  • Venue:
  • ACM Transactions on Database Systems (TODS)
  • Year:
  • 1982

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.02

Visualization

Abstract

Structured query languages, such as those available for relational databases, are becoming increasingly desirable for all database management systems. Such languages are applicative: there is no need for an assignment or update statement. A new technique is described that allows for the implementation of applicative query languages against most commonly used database systems. The technique involves “lazy” evaluation and has a number of advantages over existing methods: it allows queries and functions of arbitrary complexity to be constructed; it reduces the use of secondary storage; it provides a simple control structure through which interfaces to other programs may be constructed; and the implementation, including the database interface, is quite compact. Although the technique is presented for a specific functional programming system and for a CODASYL DBMS, it is general and may be used for other query languages and database systems.