"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

"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.