Alternatives to SQL ...

Hi,

I'm wondering about alternative accesses to a PostgreSQL data base
by means other than SQL. I know one can map many things to SQL, but
let me think outside the box for just a moment:

- Sending a parse tree in XML for processing by the optimizer.
   This circumvents the SQL language and avoids the kinds of
   syntactic ideosyncrasies of SQL (e.g., where you put commas.)
   This is fairly trivial, but of course the question is, would
   it be worth it?

- Sending an execution plan in XML directly to the executor.
   This now circumvents the SQL parser and optimizer. I know this
   in in a way against the relational doxology and I don't take that
   light-heartedly. However, isn't it true that most optimizers
   cannot deal very well with more than 6 joins? I may be wrong,
   but I find myself spending quite a bit of time fighting with the
   Oracle or PostgreSQL optimizer to convince it to choose the plan
   that I want. There is so much magic to it with hints and the
   way you write SQL (where in relational theory the expressions are
   equivalent, they make huge difference in what plan is being
   generated.) So, it appears to me almost easier to just send a
   plan directly and have the system execute that plan.

- These direct interfaces could be a nice way to experiment with
   new strategies without having to implement it on all three
   layers (SQL language, optimizer, and executor.)

You noticed I sneaked in XML as the interface, and that would be
neat because with XSLT it's so easy to manipulate. But I'm also
thinking about a Prolog binding or constraint logic programming
binding, that might be better optimizeable if it goes through a
more direct path than SQL.

Am I crazy?
-Gunther

--
Gunther Schadow, M.D., Ph.D.                    gschadow@regenstrief.org
Medical Information Scientist      Regenstrief Institute for Health Care
Adjunct Assistant Professor        Indiana University School of Medicine
tel:1(317)630-7960                         http://aurora.regenstrief.org