Re: What databases have taught me
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 23:38:57 +0200
Message-ID: <44a2f66d$0$31652$e4fe514c_at_news.xs4all.nl>
Frans Bouma wrote:
> mAsterdam wrote:
>
>>Frans Bouma wrote: >>[snip] >>> Funny thing is that if you give 3 randomly chosen database >>>architects (or whatever the f... some people want to call these >>>people) the task to develop the RDM for a big hospital (so you end >>>up with at least 700 or so tables), you will definitely get 3 >>>completely different models. >> >>Is this from experience - did you see 3 actual models for >>a big hospital? Did you try to find out what was same, >>similar and different? I speculate that it is speculation.> hospital, but all were databases for the information systems for big
>
> I have, actually. All 3 had over 1000 tables. Not for the same
> hospitals. It struck me that they were so different. Of course they all
> define 'patient' but it was kind of odd that they ended up with such
> different models. And yet, when you looked at them they all made sense.
What would you do if these three hospitals merged into one?
>>It does not match my experience. I did some admittedly >>shallow comparisons of different data models in operation >>for different organizations in the same businesses >>(not hospitals). The similarities were striking, >>noted differences were accounted for. >>I think this is because when you are in the same >>business, you have to deal with the same >>facts. If you don't you are in a niche.
>
> Then our experiences differ indeed. :)
Yes. I'd still prefer some research.
You don't? (snippage)
> My example was more to illustrate that if you talk about something
> like 'RM' the end result of the analysis phases might be a RDM, and it
> also might be following all the rules defined for RM, but semantically,
> does it make sense, is it 'correct' when you project it on reality?
> That's something that's unclear, which is the same with OOAD and which
> was IMHO the reason why it was more or less classified as not useful by
> some, while RM and OOAD are actually in the same boat: the end result
> can be tested technically if they obey the rules of RM resp. OOAD, but
> if they are 'correct' with respect to reality is not clear in both
> situations as in: not for 100% certain. (otherwise no software project
> would ever fail ;))
The accuracy of the models gets tested in production.
-- "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it." Chinese Proverb.Received on Wed Jun 28 2006 - 23:38:57 CEST