Database Theory Links

[Massimo Dentico]

Kyle Lahnakoski wrote:
> 
> I was a very lucky guy!  Usually I find it impossible to find stuff on
> the net.  Here are two links on DB theory.  The wealth of information in
> the first one can bring anyone up to speed on db theory:
> 
> http://www.bus.orst.edu/faculty/brownc/LECTURES/DB_TUTOR/
> 
> The second one is a rare and elusive beast.  Fourth and fifth normal
> forms are very hard to find in any detail.
> 
> Graphics:
> http://www.umuc.edu/~tkorjack/chpt11date/sld001.htm
> 
> Text:
> http://www.umuc.edu/~tkorjack/chpt11date/tsld001.htm

Thanks for the links. I'm not completely ignorant about DB
theory and practice but I'm not so enthusiast about relational
DB. Henry Baker examines some theoretical and practical (modelling
capability, performance ...) faults of RDBMSs in this letter:

"Relational Databases considered harmful" (relative
to object-oriented databases.) Comm. of the ACM 35,
4 (April 1992), 16,18".

- ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/hb/hbaker/letters/CACM-RelationalDatabases.html

In my experience he is right. However, even OODBMS are not the ultimate
solution, at least in the current state.

-- 
Massimo Dentico