Self-proclaimed database expert here. What a database is good at depends on what you're trying to get that database to do, at least in part. Take it into piece

Self-proclaimed database expert here. What a database is good at depends on what you're trying to get that database to do, at least in part. Take it into piecess, elegance and efficiency. These will correspond to a logical statement of what you're trying to do, and how quickly the database will actually do it in practice. SQL can do some nice things in areas, making it elegant in those areas. Elsewhere it can be pretty wordy and ugly. In efficiency, it comes down largely to how the database is implemented and that also includes the capability of the optimiser. Both of these are out of your control. In my experience trying to turn a database into a number cruncher is just not going to work. I guess that's long way round of me saying that I don't think I agree with you!