SQL:2003

This article is about SQL:2003, a revision of the SQL standard. For more information about SQL, see the main SQL article.

SQL:2003 is the fifth revision of the SQL database query language. As of 2007, it is the most recent revision of the standard.

Summary

The SQL:2003 standard makes minor modifications to all parts of SQL:1999, and officially introduces a few new features such as:^[1]

• XML-related features
• window functions
• the sequence generator, which allows standardized sequences
• two new column types: auto-generated values and identity-columns
• the new MERGE statement
• extensions to the CREATE TABLE statement, to allow "CREATE TABLE AS" and "CREATE TABLE LIKE"
• removal of the poorly-implemented "BIT" and "BIT VARYING" data types

Documentation availability

The SQL standard is not freely available. SQL:2003 may be purchased from ISO or ANSI. A late draft is available as a zip archive from Whitemarsh Information Systems Corporation. The zip archive contains a number of PDF files that define the parts of the SQL:2003 specification.

• ISO/IEC 9075(1-4,9-11,13,14):2003 CD-ROM (352 CHF, or approximately 225 EUR, to order the CD)
  • ISO/IEC 9075-1:2003 – Framework (SQL/Framework)
  • ISO/IEC 9075-2:2003 – Foundation (SQL/Foundation)
  • ISO/IEC 9075-3:2003 – Call-Level Interface (SQL/CLI)
  • ISO/IEC 9075-4:2003 – Persistent Stored Modules (SQL/PSM)
  • ISO/IEC 9075-9:2003 – Management of External Data (SQL/MED)
  • ISO/IEC 9075-10:2003 – Object Language Bindings (SQL/OLB)
  • ISO/IEC 9075-11:2003 – Information and Definition Schemas (SQL/Schemata)
  • ISO/IEC 9075-13:2003 – SQL Routines and Types Using the Java Programming Language (SQL/JRT)
  • ISO/IEC 9075-14:2003 – XML-Related Specifications (SQL/XML)

DBMS compliance

Since the SQL:2003 standard is relatively new, few DBMS implementations are able to claim full compliance with it yet. However, most vendors have partial compliance with the core SQL:2003 features, and sometimes have legacy, non-standard syntax equivalents that they had introduced prior to the SQL:2003 standard.

• Oracle ^[2]
• PostgreSQL ^[3][4][5]
• MySQL ^[6]

References

1. Eisenberg, Andrew. "SQL:2003 Has Been Published" (pdf). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
2. "Oracle Compliance To Core SQL:2003". Oracle. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
3. "PostgreSQL: SQL Conformance". PostgreSQL 8.3devel Documentation. PostgreSQL.org. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
4. "PostgreSQL: Unsupported Features". PostgreSQL 8.3devel Documentation. PostgreSQL.org. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
5. "PostgreSQL: Supported Features". PostgreSQL 8.3devel Documentation. PostgreSQL.org. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
6. http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/stored-procedures.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• BNF Grammar for ISO/IEC 9075-1:2003 – SQL/Framework
• BNF Grammar for ISO/IEC 9075-2:2003 – SQL/Foundation