Re: A pk is *both* a physical and a logical object.

From: paul c <toledobythesea_at_oohay.ac>
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:20:29 GMT
Message-ID: <NMqli.108478$1i1.34104@pd7urf3no>

David Cressey wrote:
> "Jan Hidders" <hidders_at_gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1184241371.515071.251680_at_k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>

>>On 11 jul, 22:25, Cimode <cim..._at_hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Furthermore...
>>><<Technically a PK is *only* a physical implementation device, not a
>>>logical concept at all.>>
>>
>>`When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone,
>>`it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'
>>
>>`The question is,' said Alice, `whether you can make words mean so
>>many different things.'
>>
>>`The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master --
>>that's all.'
>>
>>;-)
>>
>>To answer the question, I think that is quite simple. As defined in
>>the relational model it is a logical concept. As far as I know the SQL
>>standard does not state that a PK implies an index (but I could be
>>wrong) and then it is also there a logical concept. If it does imply
>>an index then it is mixed concept because it has both logical and
>>physical consequences.
>>
>>-- Jan hidders
>>

>
>
> It was my understanding that the relational model defines keys, but not
> primary keys. That is, any candidate key is as much of a key as any other.
>
> It was my understanding that certain schools of data management, including
> the SQL school, adopted the convention of naming one candidate key as
> primary key, and of making all FK references refer to that key, where
> possible. I can see, and use, that practice myself. But I can't see where
> the relational model necessitates it.
>
> On another subject, just what *is* the distinction between "logical" and
> "physical". Over the decades since James Martin wrote on the subject,
> there seems to have been considerable drift in what the terms actually mean.
> Perhaps we have too many Humpty Dumpties in the field!
>
>
>

I'm sure most btree structure/method developers think their code is logical!

The word "key" carries a lot of historical baggage. By the early 1960's, IBM "iron" certainly had hardware keys, special disk records known as keys that only outboard hardware instructions could read or write. Naturally, the word found its way into manuals for various access methods. I can guess that Codd as well as the System/R people might have been subtly influenced by this and helped perpetuate what I think is a unfortunate, even polluted, term. Not to mention a lot of unthinking old-timers like me! Either so brainwashed or lazy or both that we can't think of a better word.

I'd be mildly curious to hear if anybody is aware of earlier non-hardware uses of the term.

p Received on Thu Jul 12 2007 - 09:20:29 CDT