Re: [xml-dev] Commonality shared among the XML suite of technologies and the relational (database) model

From: Stephen D Green <>
To: "Costello, Roger L." <>
Date: 2016-10-01T18:32:43Z
ID: <>
Thread: Re: [xml-dev] Commonality shared among the XML suite of technologies and the relational (database) model

To some developers it is another example of 'dumbing down'. Perhaps this accounts in part for the popularity of JSON. Developers need to use their skills and earn their keep, not just do the siftware equivalent of pressing buttons.

Stephen Green

On Saturday, 1 October 2016, Costello, Roger L. <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Folks,

The XML suite of technologies (XML, XSD, Schematron, XPath, XQuery, etc.) are declarative, not procedural, in nature; that is, the XML technology suite always favors declarative solutions over procedural ones, wherever such solutions are feasible. The reason is obvious: Declarative means the system does the work, procedural means the user does the work. That’s why the XML technology suite supports declarative structure definitions (XSD), declarative integrity constraints (Schematron), declarative queries (XPath and XQuery), and so on.

From the book SQL and Relational Theory by C.J. Date (p. 28):

The relational model is declarative, not procedural, in nature; that is, it always favors declarative solutions over procedural ones, wherever such solutions are feasible. The reason is obvious: Declarative means the system does the work, procedural means the user does the work. That’s why the relational model supports declarative queries, declarative updates, declarative view definitions, declarative integrity constraints, and so on.

Neat!

/Roger

----

Stephen D Green

← Prev in month ← Prev in thread

Next in thread → Next in month →