Hale, Jim
Jim.Hale at FleetPride.com
Thu Jul 26 08:51:05 CDT 2007
<And I don't give a rat's patuty about relational theory, I care about what works.> LOL And how many times have we heard this from clients particularly when they are justifying bad design or databases that "work" but not really well. I think we have to grant Jim the point that the more we understand relational theory and its nuances the better we can make informed decisions in structuring designs. I am not a slave to relational theory but if I'm going to design away from dogma I want my choice to be an informed one weighing the pros and cons. After all, these programs do purport to be relational so the more we understand where they succeeed or fail the better we become as developers. As a power user I began building "databases" long before I ever heard of relational theory. As I began learning the theory I understood how flawed and unscalable many of my constructs were. Today the databases I build don't religiously follow the gospel according to Codd but are better as I more closely understand and follow the relational model. Assuming that relational theory, at least in the abstract, is a logical internally consistent theory that works and is worth using, it is a "best practice" to implement the theory SUBJECT TO the constraints imposed by the hardware and software platforms being used. Jim Hale *********************************************************************** The information transmitted is intended solely for the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of or taking action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. As a recipient of this email, you are responsible for screening its contents and the contents of any attachments for the presence of viruses. No liability is accepted for any damages caused by any virus transmitted by this email.