Rel: A programming language for relational data

Molham Aref; Paolo Guagliardo; George Kastrinis; Leonid Libkin; Victor Marsault; Wim Martens; Mary McGrath; Filip Murlak; Nathaniel Nystrom; Liat Peterfreund; Allison Rogers; Cristina Sirangelo; Domagoj Vrgoč; David Zhao; Abdul Zreika

doi:10.1145/3722212.3724450

Rel: A programming language for relational data

Molham Aref, Paolo Guagliardo, George Kastrinis, Leonid Libkin, Victor Marsault, Wim Martens, Mary McGrath, Filip Murlak, Nathaniel Nystrom, Liat Peterfreund, Allison Rogers, Cristina Sirangelo, Domagoj Vrgoč, David Zhao, Abdul Zreika

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

Abstract

From the moment of their inception, languages for relational data have been described as sublanguages embedded in a host programming language. Rel is a new relational language whose key design goal is to go beyond this paradigm with features that allow for programming in the large, making it possible to fully describe end to end application semantics. With the new approach we can model the semantics of entire enterprise applications relationally, which helps significantly reduce architecture complexity and avoid the well-known impedance mismatch problem. This paradigm shift is enabled by 50 years of database research, making it possible to revisit the sublanguage/host language paradigm, starting from the
fundamental principles. We present the main features of Rel: those that give it the power to express traditional query language operations and those that are designed to grow the language and allow programming in the large.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Companion of the 2025 International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD-Companion ’25)
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Pages	1-14
Number of pages	14
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3722212.3724450
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 26 Feb 2025
Event	The 2025 ACM SIGMOD/PODS International Conference on Management of Data - Intercontinental Berlin, Berlin, Germany Duration: 22 Jun 2025 → 27 Jun 2025 https://2025.sigmod.org/

Conference

Conference	The 2025 ACM SIGMOD/PODS International Conference on Management of Data
Abbreviated title	SIGMOD/PODS 2025
Country/Territory	Germany
City	Berlin
Period	22/06/25 → 27/06/25
Internet address	https://2025.sigmod.org/

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

relational data model
programming in the large
relational programming
query language design
impedance mismatch
relational knowledge graph
graph normal form

Access to Document

10.1145/3722212.3724450Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

ArefEtalSIGMOD2025RelAProgrammingLanguageAccepted author manuscript, 741 KBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

Cite this

Aref, M., Guagliardo, P., Kastrinis, G., Libkin, L., Marsault, V., Martens, W., McGrath, M., Murlak, F., Nystrom, N., Peterfreund, L., Rogers, A., Sirangelo, C., Vrgoč, D., Zhao, D., & Zreika, A. (Accepted/In press). Rel: A programming language for relational data. In Companion of the 2025 International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD-Companion ’25) (pp. 1-14). Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). https://doi.org/10.1145/3722212.3724450

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title = "Rel: A programming language for relational data",

abstract = "From the moment of their inception, languages for relational data have been described as sublanguages embedded in a host programming language. Rel is a new relational language whose key design goal is to go beyond this paradigm with features that allow for programming in the large, making it possible to fully describe end to end application semantics. With the new approach we can model the semantics of entire enterprise applications relationally, which helps significantly reduce architecture complexity and avoid the well-known impedance mismatch problem. This paradigm shift is enabled by 50 years of database research, making it possible to revisit the sublanguage/host language paradigm, starting from thefundamental principles. We present the main features of Rel: those that give it the power to express traditional query language operations and those that are designed to grow the language and allow programming in the large.",

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author = "Molham Aref and Paolo Guagliardo and George Kastrinis and Leonid Libkin and Victor Marsault and Wim Martens and Mary McGrath and Filip Murlak and Nathaniel Nystrom and Liat Peterfreund and Allison Rogers and Cristina Sirangelo and Domagoj Vrgo{\v c} and David Zhao and Abdul Zreika",

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booktitle = "Companion of the 2025 International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD-Companion {\textquoteright}25)",

publisher = "Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)",

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note = "The 2025 ACM SIGMOD/PODS International Conference on Management of Data, SIGMOD/PODS 2025 ; Conference date: 22-06-2025 Through 27-06-2025",

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Aref, M, Guagliardo, P, Kastrinis, G, Libkin, L, Marsault, V, Martens, W, McGrath, M, Murlak, F, Nystrom, N, Peterfreund, L, Rogers, A, Sirangelo, C, Vrgoč, D, Zhao, D & Zreika, A 2025, Rel: A programming language for relational data. in Companion of the 2025 International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD-Companion ’25). Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), pp. 1-14, The 2025 ACM SIGMOD/PODS International Conference on Management of Data, Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 22/06/25. https://doi.org/10.1145/3722212.3724450

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AU - Aref, Molham

AU - Guagliardo, Paolo

AU - Kastrinis, George

AU - Libkin, Leonid

AU - Marsault, Victor

AU - Martens, Wim

AU - McGrath, Mary

AU - Murlak, Filip

AU - Nystrom, Nathaniel

AU - Peterfreund, Liat

AU - Rogers, Allison

AU - Sirangelo, Cristina

AU - Vrgoč, Domagoj

AU - Zhao, David

AU - Zreika, Abdul

PY - 2025/2/26

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N2 - From the moment of their inception, languages for relational data have been described as sublanguages embedded in a host programming language. Rel is a new relational language whose key design goal is to go beyond this paradigm with features that allow for programming in the large, making it possible to fully describe end to end application semantics. With the new approach we can model the semantics of entire enterprise applications relationally, which helps significantly reduce architecture complexity and avoid the well-known impedance mismatch problem. This paradigm shift is enabled by 50 years of database research, making it possible to revisit the sublanguage/host language paradigm, starting from thefundamental principles. We present the main features of Rel: those that give it the power to express traditional query language operations and those that are designed to grow the language and allow programming in the large.

AB - From the moment of their inception, languages for relational data have been described as sublanguages embedded in a host programming language. Rel is a new relational language whose key design goal is to go beyond this paradigm with features that allow for programming in the large, making it possible to fully describe end to end application semantics. With the new approach we can model the semantics of entire enterprise applications relationally, which helps significantly reduce architecture complexity and avoid the well-known impedance mismatch problem. This paradigm shift is enabled by 50 years of database research, making it possible to revisit the sublanguage/host language paradigm, starting from thefundamental principles. We present the main features of Rel: those that give it the power to express traditional query language operations and those that are designed to grow the language and allow programming in the large.

KW - relational data model

KW - programming in the large

KW - relational programming

KW - query language design

KW - impedance mismatch

KW - relational knowledge graph

KW - graph normal form

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DO - 10.1145/3722212.3724450

M3 - Conference contribution

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EP - 14

BT - Companion of the 2025 International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD-Companion ’25)

PB - Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

Y2 - 22 June 2025 through 27 June 2025

ER -

Rel: A programming language for relational data

Abstract

Conference

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

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Cite this