Which are the SQL improvements you are waiting for?

Question

Dealing with SQL shows us some limitations and gives us an opportunity to imagine what could be.

Which improvements to SQL are you waiting for? Which would you put on t

Answer 1

These are all MS Sql Server/T-SQL specific:

1. "Natural" joins based on an existing Foreign Key relationship.
2. Easily use a stored proc result as a resultset
3. Some other loop construct besides while
4. Unique constraints across non NULL values
5. EXCEPT, IN, ALL clauses instead of LEFT|RIGHT JOIN WHERE x IS [NOT] NULL
6. Schema bound stored proc (to ease #2)
7. Relationships, schema bound views, etc. across multiple databases

Answer 2

Abstract tables and sub-classing

create abstract table person
  (
  id primary key,
   name varchar(50)
  );

create table concretePerson extends person
  (
  birth date,
  death date
  );

create table fictionalCharacter  extends person
  (
  creator int references concretePerson.id      
  );

Answer 3

Automated dba notification in the case where the optimizer generates a plan different that the plan that that the query was tested with.

In other words, every query can be registered. At that time, the plan is saved. Later when the query is executed, if there is a change to the plan, the dba receives a notice, that something unexpected occurred.

Answer 4

Some kind of UPGRADE table which allows to make changes on the table to be like the given:

CREATE OR UPGRADE TABLE 
( 
  a VARCHAR,
  ---
)

Answer 5

A way of dynamically specifying columns/tables without having to resort to full dynamic sql that executes in another context.

Answer 6

A relational algebra DIVIDE operator. I hate always having to re-think how to do all elements of table a that are in all of given from table B.

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~hause011/code/SQLexample.txt