4

th

Generation
Programming
Languages
By: Meisam Mousavi (116722)

Approximate Time: 25 Min.

No. Of Slides: 33

Presentation Overview

Programming Languages Being Categorized

4th Generation Programming Languages
History Of 4GL
Why 4GL?
Different Types Of 4GL

4GL Advantages & Disadvantages

4GL In Action
ORACLE As A 4GE
Structured Query Language (SQL)
Microsoft English Query

Additional Components

Page 1 Of 33

5 Classes Of
Programming Languages

First Generation
Machine Language

Second Generation
Assembly Language

Third Generation

high-level programming languages, such as C, C++, and Java

Fourth Generation
Fifth Generation

languages used for artificial intelligence and neural networks

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4th Generation
Programming Languages

A fourth-generation programming

language (or 4GL) is a programming

language designed with a specific purpose
in mind such as the development of
commercial business software.
fourth-generation languages are closer to
human languages than typical high-level
programming languages.
Most 4GLs are used to access databases.
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History Of 4GL
The term 4GL was according to James Martin first

used in his 1982 book Applications Development

Without Programmers to refer to non-procedural
high-level specification languages.
A SPECIFICATION language is one that enables a
programming task to be performed by the
construction of a set of non-procedural statements.

In 1987 Grindley distinguished between a Pure and

a HYBRID 4GL

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Why 4GL?
Programming effort
They can be easily learnt since there are
relatively few commands, functions and
structures.

The cost of software development.

Alter and maintain
Ease of use
Simplicity of design and implement

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Why 4GL?
The time it takes to develop software

Programs written in a 4GL can be written very quickly.

Each statement written may generate a large amount
of code containing a high level of functionality and
productivity. For example, consider the SQL statement:

SELECT surname, line_no, ddress_line

FROM patient, patient_address
WHERE patient.nhs_no=patient_address.nhs_n
ORDER BY patient.nhs_no, line_no
To write the equivalent in a 3GL would require many
lines of code and the procedural and iteration
structures that are absent from SQL.
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Different Types Of 4GL

Theory
Pure 4GL: A specification language made up of nonprocedural instruction sets.
HYBRID 4GL: A number of pure 4GLs combined with and
held together by a more procedural language.
Implementation
Report generators
Forms generators
4GLs (sometimes termed fourth generation
environments)
attempt to automatically generate whole systems
from the outputs of CASE tools, specifications of
screens and reports, and possibly also the
specification of some additional processing logic.
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Additional Components
Some 4GLs have integrated tools which allow for
the easy specification of all the required
information.

James Martin's Information Engineering systems

development methodology

allow the input of the results of system analysis and design in

the form of Data Flow Diagrams, Entity Relationship Diagrams,

Entity Life History Diagrams etc from which hundreds of
thousands of lines of COBOL would be generated.

Oracle Corporations Oracle Designer and Oracle

Developer

could be integrated to produce database definitions and the

forms and reports programs.

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4GL Advantages &

Disadvantages
Being specification languages, their

use requires, in theory at least, no

programming task; the necessary
code will be generated directly from
the specification.
Can only address a small and very
highly specialized area of
development
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4GL In Action
Database query languages:

SQL
Oracle SQL*Plus
Progress 4GL

AVS
APE
Iris Explorer

Data-stream languages:
Screen painters and generators:
Oracle Forms

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4GL In Action
Report Generators:

Oracle Reports
LINC
GEMBase
BuildProfessional
Informix-4GL
Focus
Metafont
RPG-II
S
IDL-PV/WAVE
Gauss
Mathematica

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Oracle
As A 4GE

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FOURTH GENERATION
ENVIRONMENT (4GE) ?
In order to provide an environment

in which a complex system can be

developed, a number of different
types of "pure" fourth generation
languages must be integrated, and
further procedural programming
facilities must be provided.
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4GE Components
Typical 4GE components:
END-USER QUERY LANGUAGE (e.g. SQL),
SCREEN FORMATTER (e.g. Oracle's
screen painter in SQL*Forms),
REPORT GENERATOR.

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4GE Components
DATA DICTIONARY :

Central to all fourth generation environments

A system database, rather than a user database,
which holds metadata as opposed to the data
itself and the DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
A place to store all the various schemas and
mappings in both source and object form
Cross-reference information :

Which programs use which pieces of the database

Which user requires which reports
Qhat terminals are connected to the system

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DBMS Rules
The database management system
performs two functions:

Filehandler for the systems developed

using the components of the 4GE
It is the software that manages the
data dictionary.

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Oracle as a 4GE
SQL*Plus Allows users to create and manipulate tables using SQL.
SQL*Forms An interactive applications generator for creating advanced,
forms-based applications.
SQL*Loader A module to simplify the process of the entry of large
quantities of data into tables.
SQL*Report A module for generating complex reports.
SQL*Menu A module to enable the coordination of forms by an
interactive menuing system.
SQL*DD Design Dictionary - a structured system to monitor and control
the development from the initial analysis to running and maintenance.
EASY*SQL An interface for inexperienced users of SQL using a mouse
and screen graphics.
SQL*Calc An Excel compatible spreadsheet that may use database data;
the spreadsheet cells can call SQL statements.
SQL*Graph Provides a graphical representation of data retrieved from
the database.
SQL*Text A module for creating a forms interface to large text databases.

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SQL

Structured Query Language

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SQL Command Types

Query Commands

Select
Create View

Update Commands

Insert
Delete
Update

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Retrieving Data (Select Command)

A typical SQL query has the form:

select A1, A2, ..., An
from r1, r2, ..., rm
where P

Ais represent attributes

ris represent relations
P is a predicate.

The result of an SQL query is a

relation.

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Retrieving Data (Views)

Provide a mechanism to hide certain data from
the view of certain users. To create a view we
use the command:

where:

<query expression> is any legal expression

The view name is represented by v

A view consisting of branches and their customers

create view all-customer as
(select branch-name, customer-name
from depositor, account
where depositor.account-number = account.account-number)
union
(select branch-name, customer-name
from borrower, loan
where borrower.loan-number = loan.loan-number)

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Modification of the
Database
Delete all account records at the Perryridge branch
delete from account
where branch-name = Perryridge

Add a new tuple to account with balance set to null

insert into account
values (A-777,Perryridge, null)
null)

Increase all accounts with balances over $10,000 by 6%, all other
accounts receive 5%.

update account
set balance = balance 1.06
where balance > 10000

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Domain Types in SQL

char(n). Fixed length character string, with user-specified length n.
varchar(n). Variable length character strings, with user-specified

maximum length n.
int. Integer (a finite subset of the integers that is machine-dependent).
smallint. Small integer (a machine-dependent subset of the integer
domain type).
numeric(p,d). Fixed point number, with user-specified precision of p
digits, with n digits to the right of decimal point.
real, double precision. Floating point and double-precision floating
point numbers, with machine-dependent precision.
float(n). Floating point number, with user-specified precision of at
least n digits.
Null values are allowed in all the domain types. Declaring an attribute
to be not null prohibits null values for that attribute.
create domain construct in SQL-92 creates user-defined domain types
create domain person-name char(20) not null

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Date/Time Types in SQL (Cont.)

date. Dates, containing a (4 digit) year, month and date
E.g. date 2001-7-27

time. Time of day, in hours, minutes and seconds.

E.g. time 09:00:30

time 09:00:30.75

timestamp: date plus time of day

E.g. timestamp 2001-7-27 09:00:30.75

Interval: period of time

E.g. Interval 1 day

Subtracting a date/time/timestamp value from another gives an
interval value
Interval values can be added to date/time/timestamp values

Can extract values of individual fields from date/time/timestamp

E.g. extract (year from r.starttime)

Can cast string types to date/time/timestamp

E.g. cast <string-valued-expression> as date

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Entity Management
Commands
An SQL relation is defined using the create table command:
create table branch
(branch-name
char(15) not null,
branch-city
char(30),
assets integer)

The drop table command deletes all information about the dropped
relation from the database.

The alter table command is used to add attributes to an existing

relation.

alter table r add A D

The alter table command can also be used to drop attributes of a

relation
alter table r drop A

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Embedded SQL
The SQL standard defines embeddings of SQL in a variety of
programming languages such as Pascal, PL/I, Fortran, C,
and Cobol.

A language to which SQL queries are embedded is referred

to as a host language, and the SQL structures permitted in
the host language comprise embedded SQL.

EXEC SQL statement is used to identify embedded SQL

request to the preprocessor

EXEC SQL <embedded SQL statement > END-EXEC
Note: this varies by language. E.g. the Java embedding
Sample:
uses
# SQL { . } ; EXEC SQL

declare c cursor for

select customer-name, customer-city
from depositor, customer, account
where depositor.customer-name = customer.customer-name
and depositor account-number = account.account-num
and account.balance > :amount
END-EXEC
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Dynamic SQL
Allows programs to construct and submit SQL queries at run
time.

Example of the use of dynamic SQL from within a C program.

char * sqlprog = update account
set balance = balance * 1.05
where account-number = ?
EXEC SQL prepare dynprog from :sqlprog;
char account [10] = A-101;
EXEC SQL execute dynprog using :account;

The dynamic SQL program contains a ?, which is a place

holder for a value that is provided when the SQL program is

executed.
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Microsoft
English Query
Page 28 Of 33

What Is English Query?

With English Query, developers can
use their SQL and OLAP databases
as a basis to build an English Query
application, which allows end users
to query the database in English.

SELECT sum(Orders.Quantity) from Orders, Parts WHERE Orders.State='WA'

and
Datepart(Orders.Purchase_Date,'Year')='1996'
and
Part.PartName = 'ProductX' and Orders.Part_ID = Parts.Part_ID
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How it works?

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References

Microsoft English Query Tutorials

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 User Manual
http://portal.acm.org
http://burks.brighton.ac.uk/
http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4GL
http://encyclopedia.fablis.com/index.php/Fourth-gener
ation_language

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Thanks
For
Attention!
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