Meta-SQL: A Practical Meta-Querying System for Databases

Title: Meta-SQL: A Practical Meta-Querying System for Databases

Abstract: Meta-SQL is a system that allows users to create queries about queries stored in a database. This is particularly useful for tasks such as database administration, monitoring usage, and analyzing workloads. The system uses XML to represent stored queries and XSLT as a sublanguage for manipulating them. It also adds XML variables and aggregation to SQL, enhancing its expressive power for meta-querying. This combination allows for both syntactical and semantical meta-queries, making Meta-SQL a practical and powerful tool for database users.

Main Research Question: How can we create a practical system for users to create queries about queries stored in a database?

Methodology: The researchers used XML and XSLT to represent and manipulate stored queries. They also added XML variables and aggregation to SQL to enhance its expressive power for meta-querying.

Results: The researchers developed Meta-SQL, a practical meta-querying system that allows for both syntactical and semantical meta-queries. This system uses XML and XSLT to represent and manipulate stored queries, and adds XML variables and aggregation to SQL to enhance its expressive power.

Implications: Meta-SQL provides a practical and powerful tool for database users to create queries about queries stored in a database. This can be particularly useful for tasks such as database administration, monitoring usage, and analyzing workloads. The system's use of XML and XSLT for query manipulation and its enhancement of SQL's expressive power make it a promising tool for advanced database users.

Link to Article: https://arxiv.org/abs/0202037v1 Authors: arXiv ID: 0202037v1