Re: In an RDBMS, what does "Data" mean?

In message <ENqsc.6849$wI4.807629_at_wards.force9.net>, Paul <paul_at_test.com> writes
>Suppose you have a "theory", e.g. field theory, with its various
>axioms. Then you can have various "models" that are kind of examples of
>this theory, for example the real numbers, complex numbers, etc.
>
>Now what the Completeness Theorem says is that is something is true in
>every model of a given theory, it will be possible to prove it in the
>theory itself (using first order logic). So in other words if you start
>from your axioms and apply first order logic to them, it's possible for
>you to extract every possible true statement of your theory.
>
>So I guess the applicability of databases here is that your relations
>are the axioms of your "theory". Your real-world interpretations of
>those relations are your "models" of the theory. And the Completeness
>Theorem assures you that everything you expect to be true in the real
>world will in fact be provable by the DBMS.

And if they turn out to be false in the real world and provable in the DBMS, then the DBMS theory is wrong ... (or the DBMS predicts something is false when it turns out to be true ...)

Or if you can't prove it in the DBMS, then the theory is incomplete ...

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