Data definition standardization
Robert E. Bleier · 1970
Th~s paper presents a brief historical characterization of business data processing (BDP), considered from a cost standpoint.It also describes the data definition language (DDL) of a few general-purpose systems and suggests what the characteristics of a standard DDL should be to support general solutions to BDP problems in a cost-effective manner, it mentions attributes of data that should be considered for inclusion in an industry standard DDL and, in the Appendix, presents a comparison of the data definition capabilities in four current data processing languages. HISTORYIn the early days of the BDP computer industry, every data processing problem tended to be treated as unique, whether or not it actually was.To some extent, this is still true --as witness the number of unique payroll programs implemented and running on thlrd-generatlon equipment.This situation is a testimonial to the BDP community's inability, until recently, to generalize and standardize on BDP application programs.The lack of standards at the data definition level is central to the issue considered in this paper.A few years ago, greater cost consciousness on the part of management fostered a new approach to the program implementation process which today is proving cost effective in a variety of ways.This new approach has evolved through several stages, from the simple report generators of yesteryear to the rather complex general-purpose information management systems of today.1, 2 These systems do not necessarily sacrifice operational efficiency to reduce implementation costs.At the Front end of each of them is a unique DDL whose scope is often a limiting factor in the functional ability of the system it is associated with.It seems reasonable to believe that a BDP industry standard general-purpose DDL could support a number of efficient operational solutions while still affording the opportunity to reduce costs.