Method for Optimization of Imperative Code Executing Inside a Relational Database Engine

Processing a database query. A method includes receiving a database query from a user. The database query includes one or more imperative functions. The one or more imperative functions are converted to one or more declarative query representations. The one or more declarative query representations include standardized relational operators included in a relational query language. Further, the one or more declarative query representations are optimizable by a query optimizer of the database. The database query is optimized at the query optimizer to create a query plan by evaluating any declarative query representation originally in the database query received from the user and the one or more declarative query representations.