SQL:2023

SQL:2023 or ISO/IEC 9075:2023 (under the general title "Information technology – Database languages – SQL") is the ninth edition of the ISO (1987) and ANSI (1986) standard for the SQL database query language. It was formally adopted in June 2023.

SQL:2023 includes new and updated features.¹ The changes can be grouped into three main areas:

• Property graph queries, a graph query language built on top of SQL
  • The new part 16, “Property Graph Queries (SQL/PGQ)”,² has been added to the SQL standard.

• New features related to JSON³
  • JSON data type (T801)
  • Enhanced JSON data type (T802)
  • String-based JSON (T803)
  • Hex integer literals in SQL/JSON path language (T840)
  • SQL/JSON simplified accessor (T860–T864)
  • SQL/JSON item methods (T865–T878)
  • JSON comparison (T879–T882)

• Various smaller changes to the existing SQL language (all optional features):
  • UNIQUE null treatment (F292)
  • ORDER BY in grouped table (F868)
  • GREATEST and LEAST (T054)
  • String padding functions (T055)
  • Multi-character TRIM function (T056)
  • Optional string types maximum length (T081)
  • Enhanced cycle mark values (T133)
  • ANY_VALUE (T626)
  • Underscores in numeric literals (T662)

SQL/PGQ reduces the difference in functionality between relational DBMSs and native graph DBMSs. Basically, this new feature makes it easier to query data in tables as if it were in a graph database, providing a possibly more intuitive alternative to writing complex join queries.⁴

In comparison, the GQL standard for graph DBMSs adds graph updates, querying multiple graphs, and queries that return a graph result rather than a binding table.⁵