1

This topic is somewhat related to this question. There my answer was motivated by the assumption that SQL is necessary to access data in every database I know.

AFAIK, whether you are directly accessing data with some dbms client or you are performing a row-by-row operation (i.e. cursor) with some program (c++, java, cobol, whatever) using some db connector, you need, at some point, to write some SQL to actually read/modify data.

Now I'm asking: is this true in general? Is there any RDBMS that does not rely upon some SQL dialect?

I know that SQL is (not strictly) based relational algebra, which is the foundation of the relational model by E.F.Codd (1970).

So what I'm asking is also: is there any RDBMS that give a better implementation of the relational model?

Community
  • 1
  • 1
ascanio
  • 1,506
  • 1
  • 9
  • 18
  • Here is a similar question that may contain some useful answers: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1216393/what-is-the-production-ready-nonsql-database – EdoDodo Jul 07 '11 at 08:48
  • Have you seen this: [NoSQL](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoSQL)? – Mike Jul 07 '11 at 08:50
  • I think he said he wanted a *better* implementation of RDBMS (than the typical SQL-based DBMS), not no implementation at all! ;-) – Paul Apr 15 '14 at 16:39

2 Answers2

2

The D language (Date and Darwen) was created as a relational language, and one of the first things they rejected was trying to make it match up with SQL.

There are several implementations (Rel, D4, etc) of D, but I'm not sure how tested these are in real, commercial settings.

Damien_The_Unbeliever
  • 234,701
  • 27
  • 340
  • 448
  • It's Darw E n. He failed his biology degree because the professor thought if he couldn't even spell his name right, his exam would certainly not be worth looking at. (That's the joke he tells himself whenever he talks about his curriculum ...) – Erwin Smout Aug 15 '11 at 22:02
1

You could look at the DEE project by Greg Gaughan, and the Alf project by Bernard Lambeau. Not necessarily genuine DBMS's (Alf is just the algebra, and offers no updating facilities).

The TTM website (http://www.thethirdmanifesto.com) lists all the projects that are inspired by it (and of which the authors are aware, of course).

BTW I like that double negation in your question.

Erwin Smout
  • 18,113
  • 4
  • 33
  • 52