CODASYL Data Description Language
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TECH R.l.U REFERENCE A111 □ 4 3 b □ b 5 b A UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF NBS HANDBOOK 113 COMMERCE PUBLICATION *r4TtS O* ^ CODASYL Data Description Language Journal of Development June 1973 u.s. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE -QcC—! I ; Vffl No. M3 NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS The National Bureau of Standards' was established by an act of Congress March 3, 1901. The Bureau's overall goal is to strengthen and advance the Nation’s science and technology and facilitate their effective application for public benefit. To this end, the Bureau conducts research and provides: (1) a basis for the Nation’s physical measurement system, (2) scientific and technological services for industry and government, (3) a technical basis for equity in trade, and (4) technical services to promote public safety. The Bureau consists of the Institute for Basic Standards, the Institute for Materials Research, the Institute for Applied Technology, the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology, and the Office for Information Programs. THE INSTITUTE FOR BASIC STANDARDS provides the central basis within the United States of a complete and consistent system of physical measurement; coordinates that system with measurement systems of other nations; and furnishes essential services leading to accurate and uniform physical measurements throughout the Nation’s scientific community, industry, and commerce. The Institute consists of a Center for Radiation Research, an Office of Meas¬ urement Services and the following divisions: Applied Mathematics — Electricity — Mechanics — Heat — Optical Physics — Nuclear Sciences 1 2 — Applied Radiation 2 — Quantum Electronics 3 — Electromagnetics3 — Time and Frequency 3 — Laboratory Astrophysics3 — Cryogenics n. THE INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS RESEARCH conducts materials research leading to improved methods of measurement, standards, and data on the properties of well-characterized materials needed by industry, commerce, educational institutions, and Government; provides advisory and research services to other Government agencies; and develops, produces, and distributes standard reference materials. The Institute consists of the Office of Standard Reference Materials and the following divisions: Analytical Chemistry — Polymers —- Metallurgy — Inorganic Materials — Reactor Radiation — Physical Chemistry. THE INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TECHNOLOGY provides technical services to promote the use of available technology and to facilitate technological innovation in industry and Government; cooperates with public and private organizations leading to the development of technological standards (including mandatory safety standards), codes and methods of test; and provides technical advice and services to Government agencies upon request. The Institute consists of a Center for Building Technology and the following divisions and offices: Engineering and Product Standards — Weights and Measures — Invention and Innova¬ tion — Product Evaluation Technology — Electronic Technology — Technical Analysis — Measurement Engineering — Structures, Materials, and Life Safety4 — Building Environment4 — Technical Evaluation and Application 4 — Fire Technology. THE INSTITUTE FOR COMPUTER SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY conducts research and provides technical services designed to aid Government agencies in improving cost effec¬ tiveness in the conduct of their programs through the selection, acquisition, and effective utilization of automatic data processing equipment; and serves as the principal focus within the executive branch for the development of Federal standards for automatic data processing equipment, techniques, and computer languages. The Institute consists of the following divisions: Computer Services — Systems and Software — Computer Systems Engineering — Informa¬ tion Technology. THE OFFICE FOR INFORMATION PROGRAMS promotes optimum dissemination and accessibility of scientific information generated within NBS and other agencies of the Federal Government; promotes the development of the National Standard Reference Data System and a system of information analysis centers dealing with the broader aspects of the National Measurement System; provides appropriate services to ensure that the NBS staff has optimum accessibility to the scientific information of the world. The Office consists of the following organizational units: Office of Standard Reference Data — Office of Information Activities — Office of Technical Publications — Library — Office of International Relations. 1 Headquarters and Laboratories at Gaithersburg, Maryland, unless otherwise noted; mailing address Washington, D.C. 20234. 3 Part of the Center for Radiation Research. J Located at Boulder, Colorado 80302. 4 Part of the Center for Building Technology. OCT 1 4 1974 ; M'b OCC-fiM- CODASYL Data Description Language •U91 Journal of Development, June 1973 ;S -4 > \ \3 Systems and Software Division Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology National Bureau of Standards Washington, D.C. 20234 \v i Xi Y 1 % ^ ^ ^ 7^6-l9lfe U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Frederick B. Dent, Secretary (j.S NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Richard W. Roberts, Director Issued January 1974 Library of Congress Catalog Number: 73-600347 National Bureau of Standards Handbook 113 Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Handb. 113, 155 pages (Jan. 1974) CODEN: NBSHA U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1974 For sale by tbe Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (Order by SD Catalog No. C13.6/2:113). Price SI.70 FOREWORD Under Public Law 89-306 (Brooks Bill) the Secretary of Commerce was given important responsibilities for improving the procurement, utili¬ zation, and management of computers and related information systems in the Federal Government. To carry out the Secretary’s responsibilities under the Brooks Bill, the NBS Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology provides leadership and coordination for Government efforts in the development of voluntary commercial information processing standards. A major problem in the use of electronic data processing equipment lies in the inability to state the data processing application in such a way that computer programs and data are developed and maintained with a min¬ imum of time and programming effort. A common Data Description Lan¬ guage (DDL), independent of any make or model of computer, would do much to solve this problem. NBS believes that a common DDL could have a significant impact on the future development of functionally compat¬ ible data base management systems and should increase the portability of programs and data among different computer systems. Since 1969, the Conference of Data Systems Languages (CODASYL) has been active in the development of a common DDL. The current activity within CODASYL on the development of a DDL is being conducted by the Data Description Language Committee (DDLC) composed of voluntary represen¬ tatives from computer manufacturers and users in industry and the Federal Government. The present publication represents a report to the DDL community from the CODASYL DDLC on the development of a common DDL through June 1973. The National Bureau of Standards is pleased to have the opportunity to make this information available through publication as an NBS Handbook. R. M. Davis, Director Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology ABSTRACT This Journal of Development reports the work of the CODASYL Data Descrip¬ tion Language Committee. The Committee was assigned the tasks of estab¬ lishing "ways to aid the functions of data administration and systems administration". The Committee's charter included, "the provision of specifications for the declarations required to establish and maintain data base structures". As a step towards this purpose, the Journal con¬ tains three sections which treat the Background and History of the Data Description Language Committee, Major Concepts, and the specifications of the Data Description Language. The Committee based its work, in part, on the 1971 report of the Data Base Task Group Report. The approved Data Description Language specifications contain the syntax and semantic rules that permit the description of the structure and con¬ tents of a data base in a language independent of, but common to, many other high level programming languages. The language specifications will have a significant impact on the development of functionally com¬ patible data base management systems and will increase the portability of programs between different computer systems. Though not part of the approved language specifications, the presen¬ tation of the major concepts will help in the understanding of the specifications. Similarly, the background and history information will help explain the evolutionary growth of the Data Description Language. Key words: COBOL; CODASYL; Data Base Administration; Data Base Manage¬ ment; Data Base Task Group; Data Description Language. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Page SECTION 1. PREFACE, BACKGROUND AND HISTORY.1.1 SECTION 2. MAJOR CONCEPTS.2.1 SECTION 3. THE DATA DESCRIPTION LANGUAGE.3.1 INDEX Note: Each of the above sections is prefaced by its respective table of contents. v TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1. PREFACE, BACKGROUND AND HISTORY Page 1.1 PREFACE.1.2 1.2 BACKGROUND AND HISTORY.1.4 1.1 1.1 PREFACE It is the pleasure of the Conference on Data Systems Languages (CODASYL) to present this, the first Journal of Development of its Data Description Language Committee. It is important to note that these language specifications are the result of a truly international