Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!cimshop!davidm
From: cimshop!davidm@uunet.UU.NET (David S. Masterson)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: RFI: Oracle, Informix & Sybase
Message-ID: 
Date: 26 Sep 89 17:28:04 GMT
References: <1460001@hp-ptp.HP.COM> <5527@tank.uchicago.edu> <7206@ditmela.oz>
Sender: davidm@cimshop.UUCP
Organization: Consilium Inc., Mountain View, California.
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In-reply-to: hans@ditmela.oz's message of 26 Sep 89 00:01:55 GMT

In article <7206@ditmela.oz> hans@ditmela.oz (Hans Eriksson) writes:
>   I've learnt that Sybase SQL is not the Standard SQL, at least not the
>   mebedded one. How much it differs I do not know, but it was too much
>   difference for us anyway. I would say that this would be a major
>   consideration also.
>
I'd say the important thing is to get the job done.  If you are building your
system around one particular database system, you shouldn't be overly
concerned with the ANSI Standard (standards were made to be broken and more
often than not are!).  Too much concern with the standard and you may miss the
particular capabilities of a system that will solve your problems really well
(for instance, triggers which I don't think are in the ANSI Standard).  In my
mind, the ANSI Standard does not go nearly far enough in defining what the
capabilities of a relational database should be.  As such, it is nearly
useless as a tool for users to base their expectations on.  It is only good in
keeping vendors from having wildly varying interfaces and, therefore, help
prevent vendor "lock-in".  If I remember correctly, Sybase supports a
reasonable subset of the standard SQL and "value-adds" to that to put even
more of the functionality that belongs in a database server where it belongs
(in the database server!).  Sybase may have been the first (give or take) to
do this as successfully as they have, but I doubt they will be the last (yet
another ANSI Standard -- ANSI Standard??).

David Masterson
uunet!cimshop!davidm

p.s. my opinions are my own.  I currently have nothing to do with Sybase (much
to my regret).