Based on the recent messages and the analysis set out here:
http://wiki.astrogrid.org/bin/view/Astrogrid/DBMSmathFunctions
I would like to propose a change to the names of the log functions in ADQL. All the other names correspond to those in JDBC, and I expect that many projects will write software which interfaces to databases via JDBC (AstroGrid is certainly planning to do so). I note that the JDBC specification (which can be downloaded from http://java.sun.com/products/jdbc/) says "Because scalar functions are supported by different DBMSs with slightly different syntax, it is the driver's job either to map them into the appropriate syntax or to implement the functions directly in the driver". I guess this means that all standard-compliant JDBC drivers actually support all these functions.
I would therefore like to suggest that ADQL changes the names:
ln ==> log for the log to base e
log ==> log10 for the log to base 10.
This also makes ADQL consistent with MySQL, SQL Server, and Sybase (but of course inconsistent with DB2, Oracle, and Postgres, but complete consistency cannot be obtained). Because this changes the meaning of the the name "log" it seems better to make this change before people start using it significantly.
Perhaps I can take this opportunity to report to the editors of the ADQL and SkyNode documents a few minor problems in v0.6 documents:
Both documents have a date of 2003-06-02 at the top right of each page - should this be updated to reflect the date of the current revision?
ADQL document section ADQL-5 lists the "floor" function twice.
The PDF files linked from http://skyservice.pha.jhu.edu/develop/vo/adql/ appear to be defective - when I download each one I got a file of just a few hundred bytes. The Word versions seem fine.
-- Clive Page Dept of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, Tel +44 116 252 3551 Leicester, LE1 7RH, U.K. Fax +44 116 252 3311Received on 2003-12-04Z14:27:17