The Howdy Glossary

SQL/PSM is a standard for programming in SQL databases that integrates SQL with Persistent Stored Modules (PSM) to add procedural programming capabilities. This integration allows developers to build complex applications directly within the database server environment, enabling the creation of functions and triggers using SQL statements within a database schema. By doing so, it streamlines the process of encapsulating complex logic for reuse, eliminating the need to extract data into another language's runtime environment for processing, thus simplifying interactions between programs and databases.

Introduced by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), SQL/PSM aimed to provide a standardized method for implementing procedural programming features directly within SQL databases. This effort was intended to enhance how developers work on sophisticated applications by offering a unified approach that promotes simplicity and efficiency in developing functions, triggers, and stored procedures within an individual database schema. The ISO’s initiative sought to create consistency across different database systems by providing a universal framework that developers could rely on regardless of their specific database environment.

While SQL/PSM offers standardized procedural capabilities within SQL databases, it faces competition from other languages like PL/SQL (Oracle), T-SQL (Microsoft SQL Server), and PL/pgSQL (PostgreSQL). Each competitor presents unique functionalities tailored to its respective ecosystem with varying syntax and integration levels. Developers often choose based on familiarity, project requirements, or specific ecosystem benefits. Nonetheless, SQL/PSM's strength lies in its standardization by the ISO and its ability to streamline development processes without requiring external data extraction—providing an efficient solution for building sophisticated applications directly within the database server environment.