Re: Viable alternatives to SQL?

On 27 Aug 2009, at 17:11, pgsql-general-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org wrote:

> From: Kelly Jones <kelly(dot)terry(dot)jones(at)gmail(dot)com>
> Date: 27 August 2009 14:43:51 BST
> To: pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org
> Subject: Viable alternatives to SQL?
>
>
> Many sites let you search databases of information, but the search
> queries are very limited.
>
> I'm creating a site that'll allow arbitrary SQL queries to my data (I
> realize I'll need to handle injection attacks).
>
> Are there other viable ways to query data? I read a little on
> "Business System 12" (BS12), Tutorial D, and even something called
> T-SQL (I think), but they all seem theoretical and not fully
> implemented.
>
> I want a query language that non-techies can use easily, but also
> supports arbitrarily complex queries. Does such a language exist?

Originally I was using the webexone.com database to allow non-techies
to create tables and views, however found it too limiting - the
functional ceiling too low.

So our org. built a web-app for this based on postgres - a GUI.
However it's not aimed at letting non-techies do everything, which is
rather ambitious. People familiar with SQL and relational db concepts
can do practically everything but non-techs can do simpler tasks. For
example I recently used some of the new windowing functions (yay!) in
a view but users typically add/remove fields, filters and aggregate
calculations.

Info at www.gtportalbase.com, it's also just gone on github as open
source.

Oliver Kohll