Traditional relational database schemas are designed to keep computers happy. Indexes, foreign keys, joins…all of these tools allow for the highest level of optimization so data can be recorded and read back in record time. However, humans are typically very unhappy when it comes time to answer business questions from this data.

Imagine your boss approaches you and asks for a report of all orders placed by the Acme Corporation on Thursdays. You recall how many times you and your team optimized the database containing this information so data could be written at break-neck speeds and moan when you think of the complex script you’ll need to write to retrieve the report your boss requires. Wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of lines and lines of arcane SQL, we could ask a database something like the following and get back exactly what we expect? Read the rest of this entry »