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It's almost as if a query language is a good way to query a relational database... Hmm.
by thirsteh 14y ago
It's almost as if a query language is a good way to query a relational database... Hmm.
- nnq 14y agoindeed ...but: try explaining to someone who has just went through the effort of picking up a general purpose programming language why does he need to learn "a retarded query language that doesn't even have functions, loops and assignments" :) ...of course, you can answer him "well... but actually it does" and expose him mercilessly to the world of sql extensions before he even learned basic sql.
- wvenable 14y agoI don't think of SQL as programming -- programming is telling the computer what to do, SQL is describing the data that you want and letting the computer figure out how to get it to you. Regular expressions work the same way. The worst SQL is done by people who treat it like a programming language. I've taught SQL to non-developers and most pick it up pretty easily as long they're taught the right way.
- thirsteh 14y agoSmall correction: The worst SQL is done by people who treat it like an imperative programming language. SQL is a declarative programming language. It's probably much easier to learn for people with experience in functional programming (where you also specify what you want, not how to get it), and tools like Excel, than people who are used to thinking about telling the computer what to do.
- squidsoup 14y ago"SQL is describing the data that you want and letting the computer figure out how to get it to you." This is known as declarative programming, and is the basis for functional programming languages like Lisp and Haskell. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declarative_programming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declarative_programming It's a different paradigm, but one worth exploring if you're only familiar with imperative OO.