R2RML implementation feedback: Unnamed columns in rr:sqlQuery

Section 5.2 sates:

[[
Any columns in the SELECT list derived by projecting an expression MUST be named.
]]
http://www.w3.org/TR/2012/CR-r2rml-20120223/#r2rml-views

I propose to replace this with an informative note:

[[
Note: Any columns in the SELECT list derived by projecting an expression should be explicitly named because otherwise they cannot be referenced in the rest of the mapping.
]]

Rationale: To detect that a SQL query violates the “MUST” criteria, a processor would have to parse and understand the query, which is a cost for implementations. This cost brings little benefit, because unnamed columns (i.e., the DB implementation picks a name) are merely useless in an R2RML mapping, but not actively harmful.

Best,
Richard

Received on Sunday, 22 April 2012 22:30:36 UTC