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The following is an email exchange with a reader and DBMS designer.

ON DATA TYPES AND WHAT A DBMS IS

(originally published in 2001)

Reader:
"I would like to hear your (or Date's) opinion on The Suneido Database … it seems to me self-contradictory. They aren't typed ... so how can they define operators, or even the idea of domains. They also say they include administrative commands, which as far as I understand isn't allowed in the THIRD MANIFESTO. While they do not claim to be an implementation of the Manifesto, their claims that their database language was created by CJ Date do not sound appropriate."

 "They don't know what [domains (distinct from programming data types)] are and what their function in the RDM is. That's common for all DBMS vendors, the claims of which should be always taken with more than a grain of salt."

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DBMS designer:
"I noticed your recent posting on the Suneido DBMS on www.dbdebunk.com. As the primary developer on this project, I'm certainly interested in any and all feedback. I'm curious what seemed self-contradictory about the database article I'd be happy to clarify any points that are unclear or misleading.

Contrary to the email from LD, we do not claim that our database language was created by C.J. Date. The article in question says "The query language is based on the relational algebra language suggested by C.J.Date". Suneido's query language is similar to that used in AN INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE SYSTEMS. Suneido is criticized because it doesn't use SQL. I wanted to say we based our query language on existing work, that we didn't totally reinvent the wheel. Perhaps this could have been stated more clearly -- I would be happy to revise the statement if Mr. Date objects to its current form.

As far as the THIRD MANIFESTO goes, I have read it, and I think I have a crude understanding of it, including its concept of what types are and what their function in a data model is. Suneido does not implement these concepts, nor does it make any claims to. Suneido's goals are pragmatic. We don't claim to implement any standard, or to be complete or correct in any theoretical sense. Our only hope is that Suneido is useful for certain applications. And we are always open to suggestions on how Suneido can be improved.

Suneido is an open source project, and no one sells it, so I'm not really a vendor, but, of course, you can still take my statements with more than a grain of salt. -) I look forward to further discussion."

"My short response to the reader was not based on -- and is not intended to be -- an evaluation of the product. It only responds to a very specific comment regarding [relational] domains (vs. programming data types).

I have not criticized any product on whether it does or does not use SQL -- I happen to think that SQL is a non-relational poor language -- but, unfortunately, that's what the industry [was capable of due to lack of understanding of data fundamentals and the RDM].

[For correctness,] a DBMS must [concretize some] data model -- a formal theory of data with the following components:
Structure
Integrity
Manipulation

[The data structure in RDM is the relation on domains -- a relationship among them -- constrained semantically to represent a group of related entities of the same type. Since Suneido does not support domains, it does not support relations and, therefore, the RDM. It is not clear what formal data model, if any, Suneido is grounded in (if it is, please define its three components) and, if so, it guarantees neither correctness, nor any of the other relational advantges].

Don't worry, we don't suspect any DBMS developer these days of adherence to theoretical foundations -- [they don't know and appreciate them], so I don't have to dig deep into products to know that they are problematic.

The theory is not there for its own sake, but for very pragmatic purposes. Ignoring theory makes products less sound and, thus, not more practical. This has nothing to do with whether a product is commercial or open source. In fact, open source should enable those serious about database management [as distinct from sheer profit-oriented vendors] to do things right by grounding their products theoretically, but unfortunately they [neither know, understand, or appreciate data fundamentals either].

Note on re-publication: No particular data sublanguage (i.e., syntax, such as Date's and Darwen's D) is required for a DBMS to be a RDBMS, as long as it's relational -- grounded in SST/FOPL and concretizes the RDM as currently understood (i.e., 5NF relations, a RA with 5NF closure and multi-relation results). Syntactic "similarity" does not count. Suneido did not seem to have a formally defined data model and does not support domains and, therefore, no relations. Consequently it is not a RDBMS and cannot guarantee correctness, namely by-design semantic consistency and system-guaranteed logical validity.

Unlike Date and Darwen, for whom relational domains and programming data types are one and the same thing, we follow Codd, who identified important differences between them.

Domains: The Database Glue

Understanding Domains and Attributes

What Domains Are and Are Not