Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Y. Shafranovich
Request for Comments: 6922 BioFortis, Inc.
Category: Informational April 2013
ISSN: 2070-1721
The application/sql Media Type
Abstract
This document registers the application/sql media type to be used for
the Structured Query Language (SQL).
Status of This Memo
This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is
published for informational purposes.
This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
(IETF). It represents the consensus of the IETF community. It has
received public review and has been approved for publication by the
Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). Not all documents
approved by the IESG are a candidate for any level of Internet
Standard; see Section 2 of RFC 5741.
Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6922.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2013 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
(http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
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include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
described in the Simplified BSD License.
Shafranovich Informational [Page 1]RFC 6922 The application/sql Media Type April 2013
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Conventions Used in This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3. Media Type Registration Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
4. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
5. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
6. Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
7. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1. Introduction
The Structured Query Language (SQL) has been in use for over 30 years
with various types of database technologies. However, there is no
current media type registered for SQL. Therefore, this document
seeks to formally register the application/sql media type to be used
for SQL with IANA.
2. Conventions Used in This Document
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC2119] when they
appear in ALL CAPS. These words may also appear in this document in
lowercase as English prose, absent of the normative meanings
mentioned above.
3. Media Type Registration Application
This section provides the media type registration application for
this media type (see [RFC6838], Section 5.6)
Type name: application
Subtype name: sql
Required parameters: N/A
Optional parameters:
"charset" -- indicates the character set to be used. When not
specified, a default value MUST NOT be assumed without inspection
of the content.
Implementors should be aware that SQL may carry character set
information in-band. In such cases, the "charset" parameter MUST
NOT be used in order to avoid conflict. In cases where no
character set information is supplied in-band, and the character
Shafranovich Informational [Page 2]RFC 6922 The application/sql Media Type April 2013
set is known, implementors SHOULD use the "charset" parameter. If
no in-band or out-of-band character set information is available,
implementors MUST NOT specify the "charset" parameter.
Encoding considerations:
If the "charset" parameter is used, the corresponding 7-bit,
8-bit, or binary encoding may be used. If the "charset" parameter
is not used, binary encoding may be required.
Security considerations:
Being that SQL is a full-fledged programming language and may
include embedded source code for other programming languages,
there is a risk of it being used to transfer malware, viruses, and
other malicious payloads. Implementors and users are encouraged
only to exchange SQL files among trusted parties and utilize all
available security measures, such as restricted access, virus
scanners, etc., to minimize risk.
Implementors should be aware that guessing character sets,
encodings, and possible conflicts between in-band and out-of-band
character set information may lead to the similar security issues
as described above.
Implementors should also be aware that SQL does not provide or
guarantee any sort of confidentiality and integrity checking, and
SQL files can expose account information or private information
about database structure and contents. It is therefore important
for applications to provide confidentiality and protection against
modification by malicious third parties while in transit.
Interoperability considerations:
While a single standard exists ([ISO.9075.2011]), vendor
implementations of the standard vary significantly. Implementors
and users should make sure that the exchanged SQL files match to
the specific database/tool and version that they are using.
Published specification:
The most recent specification of SQL is available in
[ISO.9075.2011].
Applications that use this media type:
Databases and related tools
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Fragment identifier considerations: N/A
Additional information:
Deprecated alias names for this type: N/A
Magic number(s): N/A
File extension(s): sql
Macintosh File Type Code(s): N/A
Person & email address to contact for further information:
Yakov Shafranovich <ietf@shaftek.org>
Intended usage: COMMON
Restrictions on usage: N/A
Author: IESG
Change controller: IESG
Provisional registration? (standards tree only): N/A
4. IANA Considerations
IANA has registered "application/sql" in the standards tree of the
"Application Media Types" registry, using the application provided in
Section 3 of this document.
5. Security Considerations
See the Security Considerations item in the registration template in
Section 3, above.
6. Acknowledgments
To LTS, thanks for everything.
The author would also like to thank all of the folks at
xml.resource.org for providing many of the tools used for preparing
RFCs and Internet-Drafts.
A word of thanks to all IETF members who provided feedback on this
document.
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7. Normative References
[ISO.9075.2011] International Organization for Standardization,
"ISO/IEC 9075:2011, Information Technology -
Database Languages - Structured Query Language
(SQL)", 2011.
[RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
[RFC6838] Freed, N., Klensin, J., and T. Hansen, "Media Type
Specifications and Registration Procedures", BCP 13,
RFC 6838, January 2013.
Author's Address
Yakov Shafranovich
BioFortis, Inc.
10320 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 410
Columbia, MD 21044
US
Phone: +1 443 276-2464
EMail: ietf@shaftek.org
Shafranovich Informational [Page 5]
