Chapter 17: New Developments—XML, OLAP, and Objects - SQL Bible [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Chapter 17: New Developments—XML, OLAP, and Objects

Overview

SQL has been
around for more than 20 years, and its age has begun to show — especially in
the face of other developments. First, the object-oriented programming
paradigm, introduced at about the same time as SQL, became mainstream at the
beginning of the 1990s. And the Internet has now created a seemingly insatiable
demand for structured data and opened new ways of using and creating
information. As computers become more powerful, new uses have emerged — for
example, analyzing vast amounts of data for uncovering hidden trends,
replication over the Internet, storing data in new data formats like video, MP3
and more.

These developments have all placed pressure
on SQL to transform and adapt. SQL3 standards have introduced new data types,
bridging gaps between text-oriented SQL and object-oriented software. RDBMS
vendors have added capabilities to utilize objects within standard relational
framework (e.g., Java-stored procedures, ActiveX (OLE) Automation, XML etc.).
New object-oriented database systems (OODBS) and object-oriented relational
database systems (OORDBMS) have sprouted.

This chapter discusses some major new
technologies that relate to SQL. Some of the emerging technologies — for
instance EJB (Enterprise Java Beans) or Web services (exposing functionality
over the Internet) — would be only briefly touched. Readers interested in using
these technologies in conjunction with SQL, are encouraged to read books
dedicated to the topic.