Re: foundations of relational theory?

"Bob Badour" <bbadour_at_golden.net> wrote in message news:svednXki4MR1HAeiU-KYgw_at_golden.net...
> "Marshall Spight" <mspight_at_dnai.com> wrote in message
> news:BBnmb.21869$Fm2.11581_at_attbi_s04...
> > Having the schema be dependent
> > on what applications we anticipate is a problem. Normalization
> > makes it possible to have the schema be dependent solely on
> > the relations among the data, and therefor be the correct schema
> > for all possible applications. This gets you want you wanted
> > in your first sentence: the developer doesn't need to plan for
> > every possible query. He already knows he's done the right thing.
>
> Hence the importance of closure and of a sound notation for expressing
> logical derivations.

Yes, I think closure is one of those properties that it is quite easy to underestimate the importance of.

> > Wouldn't you agree that it would be better to have a system
> > whereby no changes to existing applications are necessary to
> > accomodate new applications?
>
> Tony lacks the intellectual capacity to understand what actually does or
> does not limit permutations.

I don't see how you reach that conclusion. Unless you include "degree of education" as part of "intellectual capacity."

To me, it's all about education, or information if you like. I'm not ashamed to admit I was born stump-ignorant, and most of what I know today I learned from someone else. Note particularly that one of the things I've learned from others is the value of a strong grounding in fundamentals. I was not born knowing this; someone had to teach it to me. (Many times, in fact, before I understood it to be a universal truth, that applies in all fields of study.)

If we hypothesize that someone lacks some specific bit of fundamental knowledge, that person may be taught that specific bit. If a person doesn't know the value of a strong grounding in fundamentals, well, they can be taught that as well.

Note that I am not saying that any of this is easy.

Marshall Received on Sat Oct 25 2003 - 19:18:07 CEST