Re: Indexes and Logical design

"Roy Hann" <specially_at_processed.almost.meat> wrote in message news:UqidndyZjK3RYbrenZ2dnUVZ8qqdnZ2d_at_pipex.net...
> "David Cressey" <david.cressey_at_earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:0CSVe.12106$FW1.7250_at_newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> > And to me, the reason I include indexes in logical models is precisely
> due
> > to these human factors, and not because logic demands it.
>
> I too live in the horrible, messy, opinionated, perverse, deluded,
> intractably mis-informed Real World, so I have considerable sympathy for
> what you say. But given that this is a theory group, maybe we should
invent
> a new model which includes indexes, say, the "political model". ;-)
>
> We shall take it for granted that the political model is beyond the reach
of
> reason and logic. The mob shall be its animus, moderated by bovine
> indifference and the need for a herd. That is where things not demanded
by
> logic belong.

Interesting point of view.

I hang out in this group due to the lack of a database design newsgroup. And so perhaps my comments concerning
how to make a database project successful are out of place here.

The scope and use of the political model will depend on what parts of the project are subject to politics. In my experience, the database model shared between "the database group" and "the programmers" has always had a political function. These are two groups that each have enough power to wreck the project, and perhaps enough power to collaborate on a success. Their interaction is decidedly political.

Due to what might be a historical accident, the model of the database made visible to the programmers has been called the "logical model", in my experience. And, prior to my arrival on the scene, this "logical model" (actually political model) had generally, though not always, lumped the indexes in with the tables. I found it convenient (prehaps "politically correct") to go along. Besides, knowing the indexes helps the programmers to better queries. So I live with it. Received on Thu Sep 15 2005 - 09:30:56 CEST