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<h3>The SQL Library</h3>

This library provides a lightwind programming interface to SQL
databases.  We have recognized that it is very easy to write programs
using SQL in Perl since the DBD/DBI driver is very easy to use and is
able to connect to any SQL database.  However, when using C you're
lost and need to write your application specifically for one SQL
database, losing the possibility to switch the backend database. <p>

The benefit of using this library instead of connecting to a given
database directly shouldn't need to be pointed out.  By using it you
would be free to exchange the underlying database without changing
all your applications.  All you would have to do is to add
"SQL=&lt;ab&gt;" to your Makefile and recompile it. <p>

&lt;ab&gt; is the abbreviation of the database in question.  It is
stolen
from the DBD/DBI interface: <p>

<pre>
     Pg    - PostgreSQL
     mSQL  - MiniSQL
     MySQL - MySQL
</pre>

  Since this interface is very small and easy to handle please find
  documentation for all routines in the sql.h header file.  It only
  covers a small subset of what each specific database provides, but
  this way they are exchangable. <p>

  There is still work to be done.  Some queries aren't compatible
  through the SQL databases since they come with their own additions.
  For example, mSQL provides "CLIKE" for case-insensitive LIKE
  statements while PostgreSQL uses the "*~" operator.  It would be
  quite nice if noc_sql_query() would translate the query into the
  proper SQL slang. <p>

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