Re: 4 the FAQ: Are Commercial DBMS Truly Relational?

Laconic2 wrote:

>

>>
>> What are some of the other objections?
>>

Hmmm, have never needed NULLS myself, and the customers have never complained. I believe they can always be engineered out. Let the flames begin :)

>
> In my consulting practice, I never tried to distinguish between "a true
> relational database" and Oracle, DB2, or SQL Server. It just wouldn't
> have
> helped communication between me and the client's people. And, to tell the
> truth, I regard Oracle as "close enough for practical purposes". This is
> genuine heresy to the true theoreticians. Ask me if I care.
>
>

Ditto for me, the practical purposes are what pays the bills. Now before Mr. Pascal "debunks" me by pointing out that a rational basis is required to achieve practical purposes, I would ask, if human beings have been using these non-relational systems with an acceptable level of error, and modern civilization has not fallen, is there need for a feedback cycle in which practice affects the selection of mathematical models to use in future engineering?

-- 
Kenneth Downs
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