CODEWITHSUNDEEP
databaserelational-algebra
Novemberland
Novemberland

Reputation: 550

Relational Algebra instead of SQL

I am studying relational algebra these days and I was wondering...

Don't you thing it would be better if a compiler was existed which could compile relational algebra than compiling SQL?

In which case a database programmer would be more productive?

Is there any research on relational algebra compilers?

Thanks in advance

Upvotes: 10

Views: 1446

Answers (3)

Bill Howe
Bill Howe

Reputation: 1

There is indeed research on compiling relational algebra

A good place to start: Thomas Neumann: Efficiently Compiling Efficient Query Plans for Modern Hardware. PVLDB 4(9): 539-550 (2011)

Upvotes: 1

Ondrej Bozek
Ondrej Bozek

Reputation: 11481

On my school one student implemented relational algebra parser as a Bachelor thesis. You can test it here:
http://mufin.fi.muni.cz/projects/PA152/relalg/index.cgi

It's in czech language but I think you can get a point.

I tried to write some Relational Algebra queries and it was much better than equivalent queries in SQL! They were much shorter, simplier to write, more straightforward, more understandable. I really enjoyed to write them.

So I don't understand why we all are using SQL when there is Relational Algebra.

Upvotes: 3

deinst
deinst

Reputation: 18782

See Tutorial D by C J Date, he also has a good rant somewhere on the evils of SQL.

Also see datalog, although not exactly relational algebra, is similar.

Upvotes: 5

Related Questions