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RE: Data Modeling

From: Michael Milligan <Michael.Milligan_at_ingenix.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 08:29:36 -0800
Message-ID: <F001.005D3DF9.20031021082936@fatcity.com>


I would read some of C.J. Date's papers, or books from his "Relational Database Writings" series. Also, there is a recent book called "Data Modeling for Everyone" by Sharon Allen (Curlingstone Press) which is good.

Most importantly, understand the fundamental principles of relational theory as it pertains to relational databases. If you make an effort at this you'll be ahead of 90% of developers/DBAs in this area, in my opinion. I've heard "database experts" say that relational databases are called that because they "relate" one table to another. This is false. It is called "relational" because it is based on relational math, and because columns are grouped together into special relations called relational tables. We call them tables for short.

The important thing to note here is this: the relationship that matters most is the relationship among the columns of the SAME TABLE. That they really do belong together is the most important thing to be sure of in data modeling. They need to be "functionally dependent" on the same set of primary key columns. Functional dependency is hugely important to understand and is the basis of good data modeling.

Some authors:

C.J. Date
Fabian Pascal
Sharon Allen

many others as well.

HTH, Michael Milligan
Oracle DBA
Ingenix, Inc.
2525 Lake Park Blvd.
Salt Lake City, Utah 84120
wrk 801-982-3081
mbl 801-628-6058
michael.milligan_at_ingenix.com  

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Author: Michael Milligan
  INET: Michael.Milligan_at_ingenix.com

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