An overview of nonprocedural languages

Abstract

This paper attempts to describe some of the basic characteristics and issues involving the class of programming languages commonly referred to as “nonprocedural” or “very high level”. The paper discusses major issues such as terminology, relativeness, and arbitrary sequencing. Five features of nonprocedural languages are described, and a number of specific languages are discussed briefly. A short history of the subject is included.

A framework for choosing a database query language

“…In fact, the number and variety of query language interfaces available or under development have grown so rapidly that a framework for evaluating query languages in terms of their functionality and usability by different types of users is needed. The goal of this paper is to propose a methodology for selecting a type of query language interface on the basis of its functionality and "user friendliness" characteristics, a goal that has not been attempted in previous surveys and categorizations of QLs [Brodie and Schmidt 1982;Pirotte 1977, 1980;Lehmann and Blaser 1979;Leavenworth and Sammet 1974;Lochovsky and Tsichritzis 1984;McDonald and McNally 1982;Samet 1981;Stonebraker and Rowe 19771. In order to avoid becoming outdated before its publication, the paper concentrates on general query interface types rather than on specific language systems currently on the market.…”