[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] Re: SQL instead of XQuery [offtopic]
Len Bullard wrote: >> One might argue that syntax based systems, even as well-thought through as >> SQL, are simply not the right interface for 'non-programmers' True, but in the 1960s that approach was dictated in part by computer hardware. Except for specialized applications, computers ran batch-oriented operating systems with punched card readers as the standard i/o device. Queries were submitted using a deck of 80-column punched cards. But that era saw a variety of systems that implemented a query language for non-programming users, including GIM (TRW) and GIS (IBM). One of the pioneering efforts was MEDLARS (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System) at the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The first MEDLARS implementation in 1964 supported searching of the world's most extensive collection of medical literature, with new publications being indexed and abstracted every month. By 1969, NIH had won plaudits and funding for MEDLARS II, which included Linotron photocomposition systems. The FORMAT command was used to format data for a phototypesetting system used for print publications such as Quarterly Cumulative Index Medicus. My involvement with MEDLARS II was developing the query processor that in 1970 implemented a query language for non-programmers (librarians, indexers). The system had the capability of doing ad hoc queries and storing repetitive queries for better performance, such as for printing recurring publications. Our goal was that a user had to be no more technical than - able to specify simple commands (SEARCH, FORMAT) - correctly spell MeSH terms - search criteria such as 'diabetes' - be able to check a list for terms that had been indexed for searching. Because core memory and disks were expensive in those days, indexing was selective. Hardware limitations dictated the use of a qualifier to indicate a term wasn't indexed (requiring a linear search for that term). NLM had domain experts who controlled the vocabulary of terms used for searching. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) are still in use today: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/mesh.html MEDLARS morphed into MEDLINE and PUBMED, with international databases and a user community that's grown way beyond librarians. Of course people searching medical literature today don't need to learn the syntax of a query language. As for today's syntax-based systems, query tools can provide context-sensitive help for users composing XPath expressions or XQuery statements. ======== Ken North =========== www.KNComputing.com www.WebServicesSummit.com www.SQLSummit.com www.GridSummit.com
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