A computer language that does not require writing traditional programming logic. Also known as a "declarative language," users concentrate on defining the input and output rather than the program steps required in a procedural language such as C++, COBOL or Visual Basic. For example, a command, such as LIST, might display all the records in a file on screen, separating fields with a blank space. In a procedural language, all the logic for inputting each record, testing for end of file and formatting each column on screen has to be explicitly programmed.