Say it in English (not SQL)

Esperant is the name of a new natural language query package for databases which German software house Software AG introduced at CeBIT in March. Like many of its predecessors, Esperant translates plain language (in this case English) into SQL queries, which can then be passed to standard database systems like Oracle, Ingres, Informix, or Software AG’s Adabas SQL Server. Esperant differs, however, in that it runs on PC, in this case under Windows, and the results of a query can be copied to other Windows applications, such as spreadsheets. Esperant is a module of Software AG’s 4GL development platform Natural. Esperant has a mouse,driven interface which Software AG claims enables users to formulate queries with absolutely no knowledge of the underlying databases.
    In the late seventies and early eighties, interest was high in natural language query systems, and as recently as 1991 Ovum forecast that they would maintain thelargest market share of commercial NLP applications through the end of the decade. However, the massive popularity of graphical user interfaces, notably the ubiquitous Windows, has provided an alternative if temporary palliative for solving the problem of accessing information in the increasingly larger and more complex relational databases of today. Hence, natural language interfaces remained largely in use older mainframe and mini,computer systems. Is Esperant a sign that natural language query tools are finally getting a foothold on the desktop?

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