Yahoo extends YQL Web data query platform

YQL "execute" function gives developers more control over fetching and displaying data

Yahoo released on Wednesday an extension to its YQL platform for simplifying how Web applications consume data.

YQL (Yahoo Query Language), launched in October 2008, is gaining an "execute" feature that will give developers more control over how their applications get and display Web data.

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The new execute capability builds on the previous release of YQL Open Data Tables, which let developers create their own tables whose data can be fetched via YQL.

With the execute feature, developers can add code that the YQL engine runs while processing a YQL statement.

"Developers can call multiple services and data sources within Execute to join and mashup data however they desire, letting Yahoo do the work rather than their applications. Data can be tweaked and manipulated into an optimal format for applications to consume," wrote Jonathan Trevor, YQL Lead, in an official blog post.

YQL is part of a much broader effort called Yahoo Open Strategy (YOS), which was announced about a year ago as a project that the company says is key to its technology and financial recovery.

YOS is a bold initiative to open all Yahoo sites, online services and Web applications to outside developers, and give users a "social profile" dashboard to unify and manage their Yahoo services.

Yahoo sees YOS as a way to catch up in critical areas where it hasn't done as well as expected in recent years, like search, social networking and online video.