Monday, January 16, 2017

The Relational Data Model

Mid-eighties. I was studying Computer Science. Little did I know back then that this thing called "The Relational Data Model" (RDM) would become huge in the IT-industry. The topic was still hot in academia at that time. My luck was that I liked those courses. Predicate Logic, Set Theory, Database Design, SQL. I aced them all. It was no surprise then, that I ended up working with Oracle software right after I graduated from university. To me it all made sense. A lot of sense, having been given the proper background the previous five years. All I had to do at that point was learn (train-on-the-job) this thing called SQLForms (and SQLReport), and off I was, building great client-server applications.

In the nineties I've seen a big influx of "professionals" that did not have the proper background. Jobless historians, foresters and psychologists, to name just a few I've personally seen, entered the IT-industry in-mass. I'm not saying this was a bad thing. It was a necessary thing. There was simply way too much work to be done with SQL databases and user interfaces. Rebuilding old IT systems that were based on hierarchical or network databases. And many of these people did a good enough job. Some of them excelled and became really good at it. And a few might have been better off looking for a job in another industry. Experiencing this time-period was eye-opening for me: if you like working with databases and doing application development, and have been given the proper education, you're king.

Those were the nineties. Happy days.

By then, for academia the RDM was fully researched and not that interesting anymore. This became visible by the students they started delivering to the job-market in the new millenium. The job-market started being flooded by developers (most notably Java), that did not have any proper education anymore about the RDM. And the weird thing? They were somehow proud of it too.

That, I've never understood.

Anyway, where am I getting at? Basically this. If you're in charge of architecting data-centric solutions, IT-systems that are founded on relational database designs, and implemented in SQL DBMS's, know that there exists proper background knowledge for this. Educate yourself in predicate logic and set theory. And how these two disciplines can be applied in the activity of designing databases. I tried to contribute in this area with the book I co-authored with the late Lex de Haan: Applied Mathematics for Database Professionals. The book is basically a brain-dump of that part of the knowledge I was offered in the eighties and still use today. On a regular basis. I kid you not.

Other authors have been contributing too. Books from Chris Date, Hugh Darwen and Fabian Pascal are certainly worthwhile too if you want to get more in-depth background knowledge on the Relational Data Model. Fabian Pascal has just recently (self) published a new book. You can find it here. He is the owner of the "Database Debunkings" website. I became aware of this website around 2001 I think. And have always enjoyed the many small articles that he has published over there. The modus operandi of Fabian is that he spots a misconception, out there on the web, and then basically debunks it. Over the years a wealth of content has been produced by him on www.dbdebunk.com. A selection of these articles have now been updated, categorized and published as an ebook. Some of the categories I find particularly interesting are, misconceptions, and Fabian's debunkings of them, about:

  • Data integrity
  • Data models
  • Database and application-specific functions
  • Entity supertype-subtypes
  • Keys (natural, primary, surrogate)

Checkout www.dbdebunk.com. And if you like the content over there, you will most certainly like his new ebook too.


Toon

28 comments:

  1. Splendid information, ,i and permit me permit you to recognize, your internet site offers the remarkable and the maximum thrilling statistics. that is just the form of records that i've been looking for, i'm already your reader now and i'd often watch out for the new posts, over again hats off to you! thank you a ton another time, regards, oracle fusion hcm online education a few of the oracle fusion hcm in hyderabad. look at room training in Hyderabad India
    from
    oracle fusion training in Hyderabad

    ReplyDelete
  2. You write in so much abbreviationS(UFI,MICS,RIA,YAFET, BL, DL, TPTAWTSHHTF... just to name a few ) that it becomes almost impossible to keep track of what are you trying to say.
    Even in your books you have done the same thing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just read your comment such a very nice. Thank you for posting this blog, about the latest oracle financials provide low price of fee for on-line coaching.
    Oracle fusion financials training

    ReplyDelete


  4. your site is visible to see sir
    thank you for your valluable information sir
    regards
    http://www.erptree.com/course/oracle-fusion-procurement-online-training-in-kolkata/

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi !!!
    Good evening!!!
    Nice article !!
    You shared amazing article about we are providing <a href="Oracle fusion financials online training.a> After reading this article it’s very use full to know about this module. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awesome post……. your article is really informative and helpful for me and other bloggers too

    Oracle Fusion SCM Online Training

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well.

    Oracle Fusion HCM Online Training

    ReplyDelete
  8. thanks for your sharing,information

    ReplyDelete
  9. aws interview questions for devops
    It is very interesting to learn from to easy understood. Thank you for giving information. Please let us know and more information get post to link.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think great site for these sharing and i am read the most of contents have useful for my Carrier.Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  11. This information is impressive sir, I am inspired with your post sir,for more information please visit our website.
    Oracle Fusion SCM Training in Hyderabad

    ReplyDelete
  12. Awesome post. your article is really informative and helpful for me and other bloggers too .
    Oracle Financials Training in Hyderabad

    ReplyDelete
  13. Very nice post.thank you for sharing your information. For more details please visit our website: Oracle Financials Training in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your article is wonderful.For more information please visit our link :
    Oracle Fusion Financials Training

    ReplyDelete
  15. PLC Training in Noida offers by DIAC. PLC Training deliver by DIAC which is getting the 100% placement assistance after completing the training. Visit DIAC. Call @9953489987.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you for sharing such informative information about Embedded System Noida. This is very helpful blog on embedded course. I will come here again for getting more information.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very nice post.thank you for sharing your information. For more details please visit our website: Oracle Fusion Financials Training in Hyderabad

    ReplyDelete
  18. The article was excellent, infrastructure was good.For more information please visit us:
    Oracle Fusion HCM Training in Ameerpet
    Oracle Fusion HCM Training

    ReplyDelete
  19. Nice blog, Thank you for sharing your experience with us and it is very useful for us. See more: Oracle Fusion Financials Training in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  20. You really did a great job. I found your blog very interesting and very informative. I think your blog is great information source & I like your way of writing and explaining the topics. Keep it up.
    Oracle Financials Training in Bangalore

    ReplyDelete
  21. Great blog, admin. This is what I have looked for, keep up the good work and share more like this.
    SharePoint Training in Hyderabad


    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you for sharing such a nice and interesting blog with us. I have seen that all will say the same thing repeatedly. But in your blog, I had a chance to get some useful and unique information.
    Oracle Fusion Financials Training in Bangalore

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.