SQL vs insert_language_here
1 min read

SQL vs insert_language_here

I was chatting online a few days ago about why people use SQL instead of writing regular code in whatever language you use to do data storage, querying and manipulation. It was a fun and long conversation stemming from the fact that the one who started it knew next to nothing about SQL as a language nor did he want to learn.

But this made me think about a good example to show why one would chose SQL instead of reinventing the wheel, and, because I was hungry as hell at that point, this is what I came up with.

Think of it like this. Say I want a pizza, and I have to tell a computer how to make it.

In C#, it would be:

Flour f = new Flour(FlourType.Wheat);
Water w = new Water(WaterType.Filtered);
Yeast y = new Yeast();
TomatoSauce ts = new TomatoSauce("Ragu");
Sausage s = new Sausage("pork", Spiciness.Medium);
Pepperoni p = new Pepperoni();
CheeseMix cm = new CheeseMix(new {"mozzarella", "cheddar", "parmesan"});

Mixer m = new Mixer();
Dough d = m.Mix(f, w, y);
Knead(d);
Thread.Sleep(20 * 60 * 1000);
Roll(d);
ts.Spread(d);
c.Apply(d);
s.Apply(c);
p.Apply(s);

using (Oven o = new Oven(400, Degrees.Fahrenheit)){
	o.Bake(d);
	Thread.Sleep(15 * 60 * 1000);
	o.Remove(d);
}

In SQL the same thing would be described as:

select
	pizza
	, topping
from
	Pizzas p
	cross join Toppings t
where
	t.topping in ('tomato sauce', 'cheese', 'sausage', 'pepperoni')

So, what would you chose? And do you have any other good examples?