Time study of the tandem structured query language

This thesis is time study of the Tandem Structured Query Language (SQL). The SQL FETCHing command from the database file was compared to the current Transaction Application Language (TAL) program of RETRIVEing specific data from an equivalent patient database duplicated from the HELP system at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. The time study was done on a duplication of 10,000 records from the production patient record file. TAL stores the patient records using a header with a block of packed data strings related to the header. The number of individual data strings in the block varies from 1 to an average of 220 strings. The SQL patient records consist of a header and only 1 packed data string. When compared using 4 or less packed data strings, the SQL FETCH was faster at obtaining the individual strings that the TAL RETRIEVE of the blocked records containing the same 4 or less packed data strings. PTXT data strings in the production patient record file on the HELP system were counted to determine the PTXT codes and number of strings used throughout the database. The resulting counts determined the majority of strings were contained within patient records with more than 10 strings pre record. However for reporting purposes only 5 strings are retrieved at a time. The results of the study indicated SQL could compete with the current TAL method for retrieving patient data strings. Further test are required to use the SQL method in actual production programs.