4. Why SQL?

The SELECT statement is written in ADQL, a dialect of SQL (”sequel”). Such queries make up quite a bit of the science within the VO.

SQL has been chosen as a base because

  • Solid theory behind it (relational algebra)
  • Lots of high-quality engines available
  • Not Turing-complete, i.e., automated reasoning on ”programs” is not very hard


Markus Demleitner

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