SQLstandardista

SQLstandardista is a term used to describe a person, group, or ideology that advocates conforming to the SQL standard (ANSI SQL) and promoting portability across relational database management systems. The word combines SQL with standardista, a suffix indicating someone who adheres to standards. In online discussions, a SQLstandardista typically emphasizes writing queries that rely on core, standard SQL features rather than vendor-specific extensions.

Practically, adherents encourage practices such as using standard SELECT, JOIN, and aggregate syntax, querying the information_schema when possible, choosing portable data types, and avoiding proprietary functions or syntax that would hinder migration between systems. They may also argue for testing queries against multiple database engines to verify compatibility and for documenting database schemas in ways that minimize DBMS-specific assumptions.

The term is informal and appears in developer forums, blogs, and social media; it does not denote an official role or certification. Debates around the SQLstandardista approach often balance portability with performance and feature access, since many commercial RDBMS provide extensions that can improve efficiency or functionality at the cost of portability.

Impact and reception vary: some practitioners view SQLstandardistas as promoting best practices for maintainable, cross-platform software, while others see the emphasis on standard features as limiting optimization opportunities. Related concepts include ANSI SQL, database portability, and cross-database tooling.