The failure of SQL

I've been using relational databases for some time now - in fact, its the only type of database I've used professionally. I've even had a go at writing my own.

Over the years, relational databases have not substantially changed. Sure, they manage themselves a bit better, and there are a few more data types (xml), but basically the way they expose the data is unchanged.

I would like to suggest that this model (exposed via the SQL language) is missing a major piece. Adding this piece would make the SQL language much more approachable, and make databases more self-documenting.

The missing piece is "relationships". Its hard to believe, but relational database do not treat relationships as first-order objects. How would doing so change things? Well consider the following valid SQL query:

SELECT oi.*
FROM orders o
INNER JOIN orderItems oi ON o.Id = oi.OrderId
WHERE o.Number = 123

Notice how I had to specify the details of the relationship (the INNER JOIN line). Now consider what would happen if SQL had named the the relationship "Items". To be clear, the following SQL is not valid today:

SELECT orders.Items.*
WHERE Number = 123

The above version is far more approachable. Add some intellisense, and even a non-developer could write it.

The simple fact is that the SQL is in need of a major overhaul, but no-one cares. Developers don't care, because we have been ignored by the database vendors for so long that we have built whole mini-industries around abstracting the database. Database vendors don't care, because...well who knows...they live in their own little world. Report tool vendors should probably care, but in my experience, most have a serious lack of imagination.