Half of the triumph of SQL here is the strength of the relational model, which rests on a solid mathematical foundation and is well and truly the best way to mo

Half of the triumph of SQL here is the strength of the relational model, which rests on a solid mathematical foundation and is well and truly the best way to model the vast majority of data domains. The other half is just having no meaningful competition in that one domain. So I agree with the author (and you presumably) that building something better on top of the relational algebra should be a priority for the profession.