NYCPHP Meetup

[Kenneth Downs]

Yesterday I finalized my outline for the Database talk coming up this 
Tuesday.  I'll post the slides once I have them ready.

1. Pre-relational, eg. COBOL, implementing your own database
2. Arguments over hierarchical, network, and later relational models
3. Relational Revolution, using mathematics to prove a route to a goal:
 
  3a. Edjard Dykstra's contribution
  3b. EF Codd, first order logic
  3c. EF Codd and relational algebra, sets
  3d. EF Codd, self-containment, DDL, DML and system catalogs
  3e. Tangent: Why code generation is so easy with databases
  3f. Tangent, Ken's Law: People work well with tabular data
  3g. Review of a data model as compared to file formats (XML is a file 
format)
  3h. Conclusion: db theorists love relational because it is grounded in 
mathematics, compare objection orientation and procedure programming

4. Shocker: SQL is not relational
  4a.  Bags not sets
  4b.  World banking has not collapsed, non-relational must be somehow ok
  4c.  Dataphor to the rescue

5. Database Design Techniques, normalization, constraints, security, 
(automation if you use Andromeda hint hint)
  5a. first normal form
  5b. second normal form
  5c. third normal form
  5d.  The Primary Key
  5e.  The foreign key
  5f.  Constraints
  5g.  Security
  5h.  Automation (Only in Andromeda AFAIK), or manually with:
  5i.  Triggers
  5j.  Other stuff: stored procedures, indexes

6. Common Flamewars
  6a. E-A-V, recently discussed here
  6b. ORM, database people don't like it.  Don't try to turn an 
apples-bananas situation in apples-apples or bananas-bananas, use each 
tier as intended.
   6c.  Biz rules in application code or db server code?  Will the true 
encapsulation please stand up?

7. Conclusion: TGIFridays, Wings or Stuffed Skins? 

-- 
Kenneth Downs
Secure Data Software, Inc.
www.secdat.com    www.andromeda-project.org
631-689-7200   Fax: 631-689-0527
cell: 631-379-0010