> I understand that SQL is the interface between apps and RDBMS's because
> of history, not because it is correct design. Could you point me to a
> link or book or paper that deals with this paradox? Thanks!
I'm not sure what you mean by 'correct design'.
I think you should go back and read the works of Codd and Date on the
development of relational databases. One point that was made early on is
that RDBMS theory doesn't guarantee efficiency, but it does guarantee
consistency and accuracy in the results. (Efficiency is an implementation
issue, though without high-speed computers relational databases would
probably not be practical anyway.)
The same can be said of the SQL standard and any 'natural language' query.
There is always a way to structure a query properly, even though it may be
ugly-looking. It isn't about how the query looks, it is about being able
to ask the question--ANY question.
Back in the late 60's, when I was a budding CS/EE major, the big hardware
'concept' was associative memory, which was supposed to be more human-like
in terms of how it functioned, though grossly inefficient in terms of its
use of hardware cycles.
--
Mike Nolan