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> There are alternate query languages for relation DBs. Wouldn't this change the answer to the question to "no, they are not the same"? Logica would then be an example of NoSQL database which is relational (i.e. not non-relational). (And same for GraphDB which is non-relational, but "not NoSQL")

Attilio
– Attilio

2021-10-15 16:12:32 +00:00
Commented Oct 15, 2021 at 16:12
2

@Attilio Logica is a language, not a DB, and it actually compiles to SQL. The database is called BigQuery and I believe it is relational but I don't know much about it really. But the term 'NoSQL' is used for graph DBs even if they do support SQL. NoSQL is an imprecise/inaccurate term which is why I think 'non-relational' is better.

JimmyJames
– JimmyJames

2021-10-15 16:18:28 +00:00
Commented Oct 15, 2021 at 16:18
In some ways, SQL is an architecture, because it defines a lot of concepts we expect to exist in all such systems (tables, columns, result sets); those aren't quite the same as the concepts originally proposed for "relational" databases, so purists would argue that an "SQL DBMS" is not actually a "relational DBMS". I guess most "NoSQL" systems are "not even remotely relational", though, so perhaps "non-relational" does work.

IMSoP
– IMSoP

2021-10-15 18:00:29 +00:00
Commented Oct 15, 2021 at 18:00
@IMSoP I guess what I mean by that (other than the obvious 'L' stands for language) is that you could create a relational database and not support SQL at all. The example of BigQuery/Logica kind of falls flat because they are simply transpiling to SQL from Logica but I think it's easy to see that you could have a relational DB where you use something like Logica (i.e. a Prolog/Datalog derivative) as the primary or sole query language. The term NoSQL took off because of a backlash against SQL, which I get, but I still think it's flawed and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

JimmyJames
– JimmyJames

2021-10-15 20:16:57 +00:00
Commented Oct 15, 2021 at 20:16
@IMSoP Not trying to spam you here but I really think this article hits the nail on the head: "The main flaw of SQL, however, lies in its very limited support for abstraction." This is what, I think, is the root of the backlash against SQL and the genesis of the 'NoSQL' moniker.

JimmyJames
– JimmyJames

2021-10-15 20:21:45 +00:00
Commented Oct 15, 2021 at 20:21

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