Data definition language

language, database (DDL)

1. A language enabling the structure and instances of a

database to be defined in a human-, and machine-readable

form.

SQL contains DDL commands that can be used either

interactively, or within programming language source code,

to define databases and their components, e.g. CREATE and

DROP.

See also Data manipulation language (DML).

2. A specification language for databases, based on the

entity-relationship model. It is used in the Eli

compiler-compiler to manage type definitions.

["DDL Reference Manual", ECE Dept U Colorado, 1991].

(1999-04-26)