SQL:2023

SQL:2023 or ISO/IEC 9075:2023 (under the general title "Information technology – Database languages – SQL") is the ninth edition of the ISO (1987) and ANSI (1986) standard for the SQL database query language. It was formally adopted in June 2023.

New features
SQL:2023 includes new and updated features. The changes can be grouped into three main areas:


 * Property graph queries, a graph query language built on top of SQL
 * The new part 16, “Property Graph Queries (SQL/PGQ)”, has been added to the SQL standard.


 * New features related to JSON
 * JSON data type (T801)
 * Enhanced JSON data type (T802)
 * String-based JSON (T803)
 * Hex integer literals in SQL/JSON path language (T840)
 * SQL/JSON simplified accessor (T860–T864)
 * SQL/JSON item methods (T865–T878)
 * JSON comparison (T879–T882)


 * Various smaller changes to the existing SQL language (all optional features):
 * UNIQUE null treatment (F292)
 * ORDER BY in grouped table (F868)
 * GREATEST and LEAST (T054)
 * String padding functions (T055)
 * Multi-character TRIM function (T056)
 * Optional string types maximum length (T081)
 * Enhanced cycle mark values (T133)
 * ANY_VALUE (T626)
 * Underscores in numeric literals (T662)

Property Graph Queries (SQL/PGQ)
SQL/PGQ reduces the difference in functionality between relational DBMSs and native graph DBMSs. Basically, this new feature makes it easier to query data in tables as if it were in a graph database, providing a possibly more intuitive alternative to writing complex join queries.

In comparison, the GQL standard for graph DBMSs adds graph updates, querying multiple graphs, and queries that return a graph result rather than a binding table.