[Info-vax] The best VMS features, was: Re: openvms renaming file

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 5/28/2018 2:40 PM, seasoned_geek wrote:
> On Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 9:20:04 PM UTC-5, Kerry Main wrote:
>>> -----Original Message----- From: Info-vax
>>> <info-vax-bounces at rbnsn.com> On Behalf Of Arne Vajhøj
>>>>> 
>>>>> One needs to remember that no other platform provides native
>>> relational
>>>>> DB's as part of the OS either.
>>>> 
>>>> Really?
>>>> 
>>>> I thought several OS'es shipped with SQLite.
>>> 
>> 
>> Are you sure about this?
>> 
>> As part of the OS install?
> 
> Well, yes and no. SQLite isn't a relational database. There is no
> engine installed. It's basically an SQL front end for a Btree indexed
> file which provides no data integrity. You can store "Mary Had a
> Little Lamb" in an INTEGER column in most versions.
> 
> Having said that, the SQLite command line tool does seem to get
> installed by default with most YABU. The SQLite3 tool does not. Once
> again, it is a command line tool for accessing a proprietary Btree
> file format.

SQLite is a relational database by most standards.

It is bit unusual by being dynamic typed, but that is clearly
documented:

https://www.sqlite.org/faq.html#q3

Certainly unusual, but static typing is not part of
any common definition of relational database like
Codd's 12 rules. It is just a sort of implicit
expectation by most developers.

It does use B-trees. But most relational databases including
Oracle and DB2 uses B-trees and B+-trees. Nothing unusual in that
at all.

And installation of SQLite contains the same basic parts as
any other embedded database: a library with the engine to be
used by applications and. And a command line tool also
using that library.

SQLite supports many integrity features. Including enforcing
referential integrity. That needs to be enabled though.

SQLite does not support Codd rule 6 (updateable views), but
it is not the only database having problems with that rule.

Arne