Re: Pizza Example

In message <c57407$qn6$1_at_news.netins.net>, Dawn M. Wolthuis <dwolt_at_tincat-group.com> writes
>Well, I know several text book answers -- for example, using an RDBMS makes
>changes to software database applications less expensive and less risky. My
>experience tells me the opposite.
>
>Then there is the text book answer that says that "relational theory" is
>based on mathematics and logic and a relation is the simplest form of
>construct that fully addresses data modeling, therefore, it must be right.
>I have pointed out that a mathematical model is simply a metaphor and that
>there is nothing mathematical about the statement that the simplest model is
>the best.

And without scientific evidence to show that the maths is *relevant*, who gives a sh*t if the maths is perfectly correct. If it disagrees with reality, the fact that it is "correct" is useless.
>
>The text book might indicate that using a DBMS provides us with constraint
>logic that protects the integrity of the database not just from end-user
>data, but from the mistakes of application software developers, thus helping
>us have a DBMS that is not specific to a single application. I have
>personal experience with several instances where this is true, but a lot
>more where it either didn't matter or where having such constraints
>specified made software developers "code around" the constraints.

And how often is that "protection" worthless, because the DBA is also the programmer? Quite often, I suspect :-)

Cheers,
Wol

-- 
Anthony W. Youngman - wol at thewolery dot demon dot co dot uk
HEX wondered how much he should tell the Wizards. He felt it would not be a
good idea to burden them with too much input. Hex always thought of his reports
as Lies-to-People.
The Science of Discworld : (c) Terry Pratchett 1999