Re: sql views for denomalizing

In message <1123119770.710775.24360_at_g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, dawn <dawnwolthuis_at_gmail.com> writes
>Eric Junkermann wrote:

<snip/>

>> The user interface described is clear and simple, I like it.
>>
>> But then you start talking about storage, which has nothing whatever to
>> do with interface design, and neither has anything to do with logical
>> modelling.
>
>I'm glad you piped up on that point because I hear hints of similar
>perspectives from others and I haven't caught on to what the point is
>as yet. I'll try to explain better what I'm thinking.

<snip/>

>
>Think of a hub and spokes architecture where this controller software
>works with various device services.
>

You seem to have on-line data storage, off-line data storage, and presentation services all connected to a "software hub", and all having the same API.

I've never thought of it this way, I've never seen this approach articulated before, and, as far as I can tell, I've never seen it used. I do see that it is possible, but I would have a lot of thinking to do before trying to use it.

I think most people view presentation as essentially different from storage, so that there are layers with data moving up and down, rather than radially to and from a hub.

Also you seem to view your storage devices as essentially physical, even though have each of them layered. It seems that your main logical model is your central API, which says to me "programmer-centric", i.e. the point I was trying to make originally.

<snip/>

>I do not want to model a tree one way when I'm working with one I-O
>device service and another with others.

I don't think I want to model a tree, I think a tree is a (possible) primitive in a logical model (which I will have to implement eventually, but an implementation is not a model).

<snip/>

>>
>> The programmer's view of data is a short-sighted one,

>them's fightin' words, my friend. I could say that someone managing
>web server software or dbms software each has a very narrow view of the
>data. Sometimes they even think that there is no other data model api
>than the ones they provide. It is the software developer that sees that
>we are modeling data everywhere (and that we should stop doing it so
>very differently everywhere).
>

The data has a longer life span than any piece of presentation logic, and the data represents a set of true facts (tautology used deliberately for emphasis), and one particular "storage device" (to use your concept from above) must be the primary (hence authoritative) repository of the data. What I am saying is that it is all too easy to forget this when programming, so it happens a lot.

Eric

-- 
Eric Junkermann