Why does no database fully support ANSI or ISO SQL standards?

Question

If I were designing a oil refinery, I wouldn\'t expect that materials from different vendors would not comply with published standards in subtle yet important ways. Pipework, v

Answer 1

A few years ago, one of the worst industries as far as pipes and connectors being mutually compatible was firefighting equipment. There were literally dozens of mutually incompatible hose to pump connections. When mutual aid became commonplace among fire fighters, they had to bring along dozens of adaptors to be able to interoperate their equipment.

On September 11, both police and firefighters had private wireless networks for intercommunicating among their people. But, guess what? The two systems were not mutually compatible. So there were needless delays in communicating information from one kind of public safety servant to another.

If you go back far enough, you can find a time in New York City where about half the electric grid was DC, favored by Edison, and the other half was AC, favored by Westinghouse.

Standards sometimes come about by themselves, and are called de facto standards. More commonly, standards have to be set forth by a body specifically empowered to make it happen. As to the SQL standards, some of the largest vendors pre date the standard. In order to comply with the standard, they would have to put in engineering expense that doesn't benefit their existing client base. Worse yet, they might end up being incompatible with their own prior product.

Full compliance with the SQL standard might yet happen, but it's unlikely. Even if it does, there's a delay time between the evolution of a new SQL standard and compliance with it.