Re: How to create a DBMS from scratch?
Date: 4 Dec 2002 17:07:30 -0800
Message-ID: <92d3639d.0212041707.f1b767_at_posting.google.com>
Sometime in 1996 or 1997 I recall reading in the Wall Street Journal
where Oxford .. Oxford something ... some gigantic health insurer
based in Chicago (I think) migrated away from Pick to a
relational database (I think Oracle).
It was a total disaster precisely because so much of what was
done in Pick couldn't be done at all using a relational DB.
Since Oxford was growing outrageously quickly they weren't
able to bill all their patients. It was common for doctors to wait
six to eight months for payment.
Oxford wasn't able to bill many of it's patients because
their database system was hosed.
The entired deal parciptated some big event - like Oxford going
out of business completely - or getting in trouble for having
merged with some other insurer and messing things up.
Great story. I wish I could remember it better. Received on Thu Dec 05 2002 - 02:07:30 CET