(Based on comments in ReinventingTheDatabaseInApplication)
Suppose you are an application developer who is also a RelationalWeenie. The current techniques for integrating RDBMS and databases are not very convenient. Here are some initial suggestions to ponder:
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Oracle's PL/SQL and similar offerings from other vendors may serve as examples of a strong-typed language that integrates fairly well with a RDBMS. However, it is not for those who like dynamic typing, and the syntax style is perhaps a bit archaic and/or verbose. Then again, it may match the archaic SQL better because of that.
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Use dollar signs or some other marker for non-column variables and non-dollared names for columns. This would be both outside and inside of a query.
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Extend declarative query conventions to cursor-oriented constructs, similar to ExBase. This way if one has to use the cursor (loop) approach, the transition effort and syntax/convention difference will be minor. For example, loop and function conditions with WHERE clauses. Example:
loop in myQuery where amount > $minprice order by store_id
myFunction(amount, $minprice) where store_id <> $storeX
myFunction2(columnY) where closedate > $targetDate
....
end loop
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Make quoting SQL text not necessary.
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Toss SQL for a modernized, programmer-friendly relational QueryLanguage. Like TopsQueryLanguage or TutorialDee? Or Linq (MicrosoftLinq) + DotNet?
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Internal or local re-querying of "external" queries. For example, you may query a record set from Oracle, and then query it again with-in the app's built-in or default local database engine.
See Also: ExBase