Overview
ISO/IEC 9075-1:2023 - Information technology - Database languages - SQL - Part 1: Framework (SQL/Framework) is the sixth-edition framework document that establishes the overall structure, terminology and conventions used across the ISO/IEC 9075 SQL standard series. Published June 2023, this Framework does not specify individual SQL commands in detail but defines the concepts, notations, conformance rules and relationships among the parts of the SQL standard family. It is an essential reference for anyone implementing, auditing or integrating SQL-compliant systems.
Key topics and technical requirements
The standard organizes and documents foundational topics used across the SQL series. Important technical areas covered include:
- Concepts and definitions: core terms, character set references, null semantics and general SQL concepts used throughout the series.
- SQL environments and components: descriptions of SQL agents, clients, servers, modules, roles, catalogs, schemas and information/definition schemata.
- Data types and structures: overview of predefined SQL datatypes (numeric, character, binary, boolean, datetime, interval) and complex types such as XML and JSON, row and collection types.
- Schema objects and constraints: base tables, columns, domains, user-defined types, views, sequences, triggers, assertions and integrity constraint handling.
- Communication and bindings: interactions between SQL-agents and servers, host language bindings, parameter passing, locators, diagnostics and transaction concepts.
- Notation, conventions and digital artifacts: syntax specification rules, feature identifiers, implementation-defined and implementation-dependent items, and document typography.
- Conformance and status codes: conformance claim types, minimum conformance requirements, feature taxonomy, SQLSTATE status codes and guidance on claiming conformance for implementations and applications.
- Maintenance annexes: informative annexes (conformance summary, deprecated features, incompatibilities, defect reports, and maintenance/interpretation guidance).
Practical applications and users
ISO/IEC 9075-1:2023 is most useful for:
- DBMS vendors and implementers ensuring consistent interpretation of SQL features across platforms.
- API and driver developers building host-language bindings (embedded SQL, dynamic SQL, CLI).
- System architects and integrators designing multi-vendor or distributed SQL environments.
- Database administrators and auditors assessing conformance, feature support and migration/incompatibility risks.
- Standards and compliance teams preparing conformance claims and documentation.
- Educators and technical writers who need authoritative definitions and conventions for SQL terminology.
Related standards
ISO/IEC 9075-1 is the framework for the ISO/IEC 9075 family, which includes:
- ISO/IEC 9075-2 (Foundation), 9075-3 (CLI), 9075-4 (PSM), 9075-9 (SQL/MED), 9075-10 (OLB), 9075-11 (Schemata), 9075-14 (SQL/XML), 9075-16 (SQL/PGQ), and others referenced for specialized SQL language bindings and extensions.
Keywords: ISO/IEC 9075-1:2023, SQL/Framework, SQL standard, database languages, SQL conformance, SQL datatypes, SQL schemas, DBMS implementation.