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

From: Dawn M. Wolthuis <dwolt_at_tincat-group.com>
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 10:49:45 -0500
Message-ID: <c9q5ng$vhm$1@news.netins.net>

"Eric Kaun" <ekaun_at_yahoo.com> wrote in message news:u60wc.5736$mK.281_at_newssvr32.news.prodigy.com...
> "Anthony W. Youngman" <wol_at_thewolery.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:QxXjHkHok7vAFwzH_at_thewolery.demon.co.uk...
> > In message <40bd0b99$0$561$e4fe514c_at_news.xs4all.nl>, mAsterdam
> > <mAsterdam_at_vrijdag.org> writes
> > >Anthony W. Youngman wrote:
> > >
> > >mAsterdam writes

<snip>

>> Which is simpler - to model a single real world entity as a single

> > database "table" as MV does (we can model an invoice in a single FILE),
> > or as five or six relational tables?

>

> Why do you have attributes? You're, like, totally dissecting the holistic
> nature of the invoice, dude. C'mon, let's harmonize with the cosmic
gestalt
> and just have one big file with attributes INVOICE1, INVOICE2, INVOICE3,
> etc...

hey man, now you're talkin' but now we want to ask questions of the data, so we need to tag some parts, without harming any animals, and there you have it ;-)

>


> > And don't forget - our FILE (should

> > be) normalised, so we can access it just as if it were five or six

> > relational tables ...

> >

> > Yep. The database itself is more complex. But the business analysis is
> > MUCH simpler, such that the total system complexity is a lot less.

>

> In what way does storing the invoice in a single file mean the business
> analysis is simpler? You still had to identify attributes, and then of
> course make sure the ordering of elements in the MV attributes is the
same,
> and possibly dissect values into sub-values...

One way it makes it easier is that it takes us down to a smaller number of portals, namespaces, vocabularies, means of making our way into the data. If you don't think in terms of equal relations, but of some being important entry points into the data, you simply things greatly for the user. I don't know about thinking about ordering of the elements -- we don't give it a second thought -- you start tossing those puppies in there and add to the end or leave a few open spaces if you like it that way. No one spends any brain cells considering the ordering of attributes in PICK/MV. --dawn Received on Fri Jun 04 2004 - 10:49:45 CDT