cover of episode Best of 2024: 50 Years of SQL with Don Chamberlin, Computer Scientist and Co-Inventor of SQL

Best of 2024: 50 Years of SQL with Don Chamberlin, Computer Scientist and Co-Inventor of SQL

2024/12/26
logo of podcast DataFramed

DataFramed
People
D
Don Chamberlin
R
Richie
Topics
Don Chamberlin: 我于1970年在IBM沃森研究中心开始职业生涯，与Ray Boyce一起研究数据库管理系统。我们研究了DBTG报告，但发现其过于复杂。之后，我们接触到Ted Codd的关系模型，并认识到其简洁性和强大之处。我们开始设计一种新的语言，目标是使用简单的英语单词，没有特殊符号，易于理解和使用，并具有“即看即懂”的特性。我们将其命名为SQL（结构化英语查询语言）。在1974年的SIGFIDET会议上，我们发表了第一篇关于SQL的论文。Ray Boyce的去世是SQL发展史上的一个悲剧，他是我最好的朋友，我们一起工作，一起生活，并一起探索不同的查询语言设计。System R项目是SQL的首次实际实现，之后，Relational Software Incorporated (RSI)公司率先将SQL商业化，并更名为Oracle公司。ANSI和ISO创建了委员会来定义SQL标准，NIST也创建了联邦信息处理标准FIPS 127，这极大地促进了SQL语言的商业化。SQL的持久性原因包括：关系模型的简洁性和强大性；System R和Ingress项目的公开研究成果；ANSI标准的制定；高质量的开源SQL实现的出现。SQL在某些方面比预期更成功，但在其他方面则没有完全实现最初的目标，例如SQL的主要用户是程序员而不是非程序员。目前，我对NoSQL运动和SQL++语言的发展感到兴奋。数据库革命是由经济因素驱动的，硬件的进步使得关系模型、SQL语言和优化编译器成为可能。 Richie: 数据库革命是经济驱动的，SQL只是其中一部分。SQL的发明改变了世界，如今每个数据从业者都需要SQL技能。System R项目是关系数据库的首次实际实现。SQL最初只在IBM内部使用，之后如何传播到外部？SQL的拼写是SQL还是SQL？由于商标问题，SQL的官方名称缩写为SQL，但通常发音为SQL。System R项目之后，SQL是如何商业化的？SQL语言是如何标准化的？SQL的持久性原因是什么？SQL是否实现了作者和Ray Boyce最初的设想？作者目前对数据库领域哪些方面感到兴奋？

Deep Dive

Key Insights

Why did Don Chamberlin and Ray Boyce develop SQL?

Don Chamberlin and Ray Boyce developed SQL to create a language for casual users—professionals who needed access to data but didn’t want to be programmers. They aimed for a language that was easy to understand, used English-like terms, and had a 'walk-up-and-read' property, allowing users to grasp queries without special training.

What was the significance of the DBTG report in the early development of databases?

The DBTG report, published in 1971, defined commands for navigating data space based on Charles Bachman's ideas. It was a foundational document in database management, introducing concepts like currency indicators and set selection rules. However, it was complex and struggled with unanticipated queries, which led Chamberlin and Boyce to explore simpler, relational approaches.

How did Ted Codd's relational model influence the development of SQL?

Ted Codd's relational model, introduced in 1970, proposed a high-level, non-procedural language for database queries, emphasizing simplicity and flexibility. Chamberlin and Boyce adopted this model but simplified its mathematical jargon, leading to the creation of SQL, which focused on tables and English-like commands.

What was the System R project, and why was it important?

System R was an IBM research project launched in 1973 to prove the feasibility of a commercial relational database system. It was the first implementation of SQL and demonstrated that a high-level query language with an optimizing compiler could be efficient and practical, paving the way for modern relational databases.

Why did SQL become standardized, and what impact did standardization have?

SQL became standardized in 1986 through ANSI and ISO to provide a consistent language specification and ensure compatibility across database systems. This standardization boosted customer confidence, allowed vendors to evolve their products while maintaining compatibility, and facilitated widespread adoption of SQL in the industry.

What role did open-source SQL implementations play in the language's popularity?

Open-source SQL implementations like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite, which became available in the 1990s, significantly contributed to SQL's popularity. They were free, reliable, and high-performance, making SQL accessible to a wide range of users, particularly in web-based applications during the dot-com era.

How did Oracle become the first commercial SQL product?

Oracle, developed by Relational Software Incorporated (RSI), was the first commercial SQL product, released in 1979. RSI anticipated IBM's eventual release of SQL and built a compatible product for less expensive hardware, gaining a market lead before IBM released its SQL products in 1981 and 1983.

What is SQL++, and how does it differ from traditional SQL?

SQL++ is a backward-compatible extension of SQL designed to handle JSON documents and nested tables. It offers schema flexibility and supports NoSQL-like features while maintaining compatibility with traditional SQL. It originated at UC San Diego and is available in open-source and commercial versions.

What challenges did Don Chamberlin face in the early development of SQL?

Don Chamberlin faced challenges such as simplifying Ted Codd's complex mathematical jargon, designing a language accessible to non-programmers, and ensuring SQL could be easily understood and typed. Additionally, the sudden death of his collaborator, Ray Boyce, was a personal and professional tragedy during the early stages of SQL's development.

Why has SQL remained popular for over 50 years?

SQL's longevity is due to the simplicity and power of the relational model, the open publication of early research, the standardization of the language, and the availability of high-quality open-source implementations. These factors have kept SQL relevant and adaptable to evolving data management needs.

Chapters
Don Chamberlin recounts his early career at IBM, his collaboration with Ray Boyce, and their journey from studying the complex DBTG report to embracing Ted Codd's relational database model. This chapter highlights the shift from procedural to non-procedural database querying, emphasizing the impact of Codd's relational model.
  • Early career at IBM Watson Research Center
  • Collaboration with Ray Boyce
  • Study of DBTG report and its limitations
  • Introduction to Ted Codd's relational model
  • Shift from procedural to non-procedural query languages

Shownotes Transcript

As we look back at 2024, we're highlighting some of our favourite episodes of the year, and with 100 of them to choose from, it wasn't easy!

The four guests we'll be recapping with are:

  • Lea Pica - A celebrity in the data storytelling and visualisation space. Richie and Lea cover the full picture of data presentation, how to understand your audience, how to leverage hollywood storytelling and more. Out December 19.
  • Alex Banks - Founder of Sunday Signal. Adel and Alex cover Alex’s journey into AI and what led him to create Sunday Signal, the potential of AI, prompt engineering at its most basic level, chain of thought prompting, the future of LLMs and more. Out December 23.
  • Don Chamberlin - The renowned co-inventor of SQL. Richie and Don explore the early development of SQL, how it became standardized, the future of SQL through NoSQL and SQL++ and more. Out December 26.
  • Tom Tunguz - general Partner at Theory Ventures, a $235m VC firm. Richie and Tom explore trends in generative AI, cloud+local hybrid workflows, data security, the future of business intelligence and data analytics, AI in the corporate sector and more. Out December 30.

For our 200th episode, we bring you a special guest and taking a walk down memory lane—to the creation and development of one of the most popular programming languages in the world.

Don Chamberlin is renowned as the co-inventor of SQL (Structured Query Language), the predominant database language globally, which he developed with Raymond Boyce in the mid-1970s. Chamberlin's professional career began at IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, New York, following a summer internship there during his academic years. His work on IBM's System R project led to the first SQL implementation and significantly advanced IBM’s relational database technology. His contributions were recognized when he was made an IBM Fellow in 2003 and later a Fellow of the Computer History Museum in 2009 for his pioneering work on SQL and database architectures. Chamberlin also contributed to the development of XQuery, an XML query language, as part of the W3C, which became a W3C Recommendation in January 2007. Additionally, he holds fellowships with ACM and IEEE and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

In the episode, Richie and Don explore his early career at IBM and the development of his interest in databases alongside Ray Boyce, the database task group (DBTG), the transition to relational databases and the early development of SQL, the commercialization and adoption of SQL, how it became standardized, how it evolved and spread via open source, the future of SQL through NoSQL and SQL++ and much more. 

Links Mentioned in the Show:

New to DataCamp?