Disclosed is a netlist query language that reads and updates electrical circuit data stored in a netlist database that stores electrical circuit data parsed from a netlist text file. To obtain the netlist text file, an electrical circuit schematic of an electrical circuit is created using a commercially available electrical schematic capture software tool. The electrical schematic capture software tool is then directed to create the netlist text file that is representative of the electrical circuit. The netlist text file is then parsed, and the parsed netlist data that is representative of the electrical circuit is stored in the netlist database. The netlist database provides netlist database access subroutines that allow a software program to read and update data stored in the netlist database. Sophisticated programming skills are required to read and update the netlist database using the netlist database access subroutines. The netlist query language eases the burden of reading and updating the netlist database by providing a language syntax similar to the common relational database Structured Query Language (SQL). A netlist query language server program translates the netlist query language document into the appropriate netlist database access subroutine calls.