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Types and persistence in database programming languages

Authors:

Malcolm P. Atkinson,

O. Peter BunemanAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), Volume 19, Issue 2

Pages 105 - 170

https://doi.org/10.1145/62070.45066

Published: 01 June 1987 Publication History

Abstract

Traditionally, the interface between a programming language and a database has either been through a set of relatively low-level subroutine calls, or it has required some form of embedding of one language in another. Recently, the necessity of integrating database and programming language techniques has received some long-overdue recognition. In response, a number of attempts have been made to construct programming languages with completely integrated database management systems. These languages, which we term database programming languages, are the subject of this review.

The design of these languages is still in its infancy, and the purpose of writing this review is to identify the areas in which further research is required. In particular, we focus on the problems of providing a uniform type system and mechanisms for data to persist. Of particular importance in solving these problems are issues of polymorphism, type inheritance, object identity, and the choice of structures to represent sets of similar values. Our conclusion is that there are areas of programming language research—modules, polymorphism, persistence, and inheritance—that must be developed and applied to achieve the goal of a useful and consistent database programming language. Other research areas of equal importance, such as implementation, transaction handling, and concurrency, are not examined here in any detail.

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Reviews

Reviewer: Marvin V. Zelkowitz

This paper surveys the development of programming languages designed for database applications. The major difference between these languages and traditional ones, such as Ada or Pascal, is the concept of persistence—the ability of the language to create objects that exist beyond the execution of the program. First, the paper discusses three primary attributes of DBMS languages: persistence, type completeness, and expressive power. Type completeness in a language allows the programmer to use any data type in any context requiring a type, and expressive power ensures the ability to write statements that provide the desired manipulation of data objects. The authors then describe a sample database problem. They first provide a solution in Pascal, as an example, and then present alternative solutions from a variety of sources, including SQL, CODASYL DDC, Pascal/R, Daplex, FQL, Taxis, Galileo, ML, Poly, PS-Algol, and Amber. This paper is a good summary of current developments in DBMS languages. It clearly presents the major features needed in such languages and gives a good overview of what is available.

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cover image ACM Computing Surveys

ACM Computing Surveys Volume 19, Issue 2

June 1987

86 pages

ISSN:0360-0300

EISSN:1557-7341

DOI:10.1145/62070

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Copyright © 1987 ACM.

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Published: 01 June 1987

Published in CSUR Volume 19, Issue 2

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https://doi.org/10.1142/S2972370124300012
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https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-01719-3_3
Ohori AUeno K(2021)A Compilation Method for Dynamic Typing in MLProgramming Languages and Systems10.1007/978-3-030-89051-3_9(140-159)Online publication date: 17-Oct-2021
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