A database theory resource - ideas

Anyhow I have discovered a lot over the last year since my arrival, and as such I often feel the urge to contribute back to general knowledge in the field. So with the loss of sites such as dbdebunk and the general lack of a simple central resource for database theory I am intending to put together a form of FAQ site. Hopefully this will be useful to reducing retro-activity in the field, as well as being a useful educational resource. Additionally any audience is selfselecting  and this can only ease a lot of the frustrations I have in trying to convince those in entrenched positions of advancements over the last few decades. Perhaps it may even provide a reference link for common arguments that continually arise. Who knows.

Anyhow I am initially aiming to concisely cover the following topics:

• The vital nature of separating conceptual/logical/physical layers in data modelling
• Working in terms of Propositions and not Objects
• The argument against OID's (and hence for the information principle)
• Why Navigation was replaced by Declaration
• That Data models involve not just structure, but also manipulation and integrity.
• Why hypertext models are insufficient (due to irreducible tuples) (web 3.0 ... good grief)
• What semistructured data is (or rather is not).

I am planning to omit well covered ground such as eliminating redundancy and anomalies through normalization, simply referring to external links. Obviously all of the above has been covered somewhere in the literature, so the aim is rather to produce a central, concise and hence accessible resource as opposed to resorting to a text-book/ academic paper format.

The main purpose is to provide a purely educational resource, with as little impartiality as I can muster, constraining to established theory and facts, or clear logical arguments.

So my question to cdt is to ask what /you/ believe the priorities for such a resource would be?

- which pivotal questions are most misunderstood?
- where does most ignorance lie in our field?
- are there are any crucial topics that you believe it would be useful

Any input is gratefully received.

Regards, Jim. Received on Fri Mar 16 2007 - 15:58:53 CET