Re: Object-oriented thinking in SQL context?

On 10 Jun, 07:17, "Walter Mitty" <wami..._at_verizon.net> wrote:
> <dr.coff..._at_gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:e0e5c65b-16b8-4d73-ae2e-cc0976ce9550_at_r34g2000vba.googlegroups.com...
>
> > Well, my basic programming training (I'm not a programmer but a
> > data analyst by vocation) was in terms of assembler-style GOTO
> > constructs and procedural programming.
>
> What does a data analyst do? do you do data analysis?

Data analysts, as I prefer to use the term, try to make sense of data which originate from observations, and use whatever is learned from that excercise to their advantage. To achieve some purpose.

You can do that in several ways, like stock brokers why try to play the market in order to make a profit, or like myself who is supposed use remote sensing techniques to learn something about the natural world. I've done a lot of programming as part of the endeavour of developing data analyst methods, and so have had to learn system design and analysis as on-the-job-training.

I am saying I am 'supposed to analyze data' since my work is more and more hampered by the sheer administration-by- manhandling of data. There is less and less time for doing useful work, hence my interest in databases.

> >My native language is
> > not English, but all my professional training was in English.
> > Which has had the effect that I am unable to think about
> > professinal questions in my native language. I find that I
> > always refer to English terms when discussing work.
>
> Good for you!

Actually, no. It is not fun to discover that either one's native language is insufficient to express an idea, or alternatively, that one does not master one's native language sufficiently well.

> > Ever heard of a 'class'? 'Supertype'? 'Specialization'?
> > Teorey uses UML to communicate problems and solutions
> > in the context of databases. Just as lots of folks do
> > with OO programming. The concepts are the same everywhere.
> > Terminology differs.
>
> Do a google search on "generalization specialization relational modeling".
> You'll find several interesting articles on the subject.  Most of what you
> will learn will be overkill for the problem you stated in the OP.  But if
> you are interested in general principles,  you'll learn some interesting
> things from the articles.

Thanks.

Dr. C. Received on Wed Jun 10 2009 - 16:13:23 CEST