Existential quantification - sql, PL-SQL Programming

Assignment Help:

Existential Quantification - SQL

Existential quantification-stating that something is true of at least one object under consideration-can be expressed by OR(r,c), meaning that at least one object that satisfies a predicate for r also satisfies c, and IS_NOT_EMPTY(r). The names for the aggregate operators AND and OR reflect the facts that when we confine our attention to finite sets, universal and existential quantification are equivalent to repeated invocations of dyadic AND and dyadic OR, respectively. Note that AND(r,c) is equivalent to COUNT(r) = COUNT(r WHERE c), and OR(r,c) is equivalent to COUNT(r WHERE c) > 0 and also to IS_NOT_EMPTY(r WHERE c).

Quantification also appears in various guises in SQL, but its meaning is muddied by those same two violations of relational theory that we have already seen muddying the waters: duplicate rows and NULL. For example, SQL's (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM r), a so-called scalar subquery (because it is an expression denoting a table with one row and one column, enclosed in parentheses), denotes the number of rows in the table r, but can we really say that this represents the number of objects that satisfy a predicate for r, if the same row can be counted more than once, or if NULL appears in place of a column value in some row of r? In fact, what might it mean to say that a row does or does not satisfy a predicate? In 2VL we say that object a satisfies predicate P(x) exactly when P(a) is true. Does this still hold in 3VL, or might SQL deem a to satisfy P(x) also when P(a) is unknown? Well, it turns out that SQL uses both interpretations, depending on the context, as we shall discover.

 


Related Discussions:- Existential quantification - sql

Overriding default locking, Overriding Default Locking By default, the...

Overriding Default Locking By default, the Oracle locks the data structures for you automatically. Though, you can request exact data locks on rows or tables when it is to you

Aggregate assignment-declarations in sql, Aggregate Assignment The %ROWT...

Aggregate Assignment The %ROWTYPE declaration cannot include an initialization clause. Though, there are two ways to assign values to all fields in a record at once. At First, t

Declaring a cursor, Declaring a Cursor The Forward references are not ...

Declaring a Cursor The Forward references are not allowed in the PL/SQL. Therefore, you must declare a cursor before referencing it in other statements. Whenever you declare a

Parameter & keyword description - functions, Parameter & Keyword Descriptio...

Parameter & Keyword Description: function_name: The user-defined function is identifying by that keyword. parameter_name: This identifies the formal parameter that

Delete command - sql, DELETE Command - SQL Loosely speaking, DELETE re...

DELETE Command - SQL Loosely speaking, DELETE removes some existing rows from its target table. Suppose the university decides that course C3 is to be withdrawn. Example shows

Parameter and keyword description - fetch statement, Parameter and Keyword ...

Parameter and Keyword Description: cursor_name: This identifies an explicit cursor formerly declared within the present scope. cursor_variable_name: These identif

Organic evolution, Organi c Evolution Evolution is a slow continuou...

Organi c Evolution Evolution is a slow continuous, irreversible and natural process of change to give rise to advance and diverse forms of life i.e. formation of new specie

Indeterminacy in sql, Indeterminacy in SQL Some SQL expressions are ac...

Indeterminacy in SQL Some SQL expressions are actually not function invocations at all in the mathematical sense, being indeterminate-invocations operating on identical input

Synonyms- naming conventions, Synonyms You can create the synonyms to pr...

Synonyms You can create the synonyms to provide location transparency for the remote schema objects like tables, views, sequences, stand-alone subprograms, and packages. Though,

When are constraints checked - sql, When Are Constraints Checked Unde...

When Are Constraints Checked Under the model constraints are conceptually checked at all statement boundaries (and only at statement boundaries). By default the same is true

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd