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Note: For a more in-depth discussion see Business Modeling for Database Design.

Chris Date once wrote a paper titled Models, Models Everywhere, Nor Any Time to Think, deploring the confused and distorted way in which fundamental concepts and terminology in general and relational ones in particular, are used in the industry. But no matter how many times a misconception is debunked, the abuse continues and will do so given educational failure and disregard for precision. Data model is a case in point (see Unmuddling Modeling, Parts 1,2) and What Is a Data Model?)

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1.
The following were added to the SCHEDULE:

• Private database design seminar, October 9-10, Milan, Italy (sponsored by Microsoft and organized by SolidQ)

• Public presentation to the SQL Server User Group Italy (UGISS), October 8, Milan, Italy, organized by SolidQ.

2
The 'Quote of the Week' was posted on the QUOTES page.

3.
My latest All Analytics column was posted on the FP ONLINE page.

Two of the previously posted exchanges have new comments:
Different Types of DBMS
Comments on my Foreign Keys, Part 2 The Costs of Application-Enforced Integrity

4.
A 'To Laugh or Cry' item was posted on the LAUGH/CRY page.

5.
A link to an exchange I participated was posted on the FP ONLINE page.

6.
And now for something completely different

European data protection watchdogs are closing in on Google, with Spain charging the software giant with six legal infringements punishable by up to €1.5m (£1.3m) in fines, while France has given it three months to rewrite its privacy policy.
...
On the same day, France's Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) gave Google formal notice that it risks a fine of up to €150,000 and a second of €300,000 if it fails to rewrite its privacy policy within three months.
--Google and privacy: European data regulators round on search giant

I'm sure this will put stop to abuses cold.

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See: Foreign Keys Part 1: Understanding the Fundamentals

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1.
The 'Quote of the Week' was posted on the QUOTES page.

2.
A 'To Laugh or Cry' item was posted on the LAUGH/CRY page.

3.
A link to an exchange I participated was posted on the FP ONLINE page.


4.
And now for something completely different.

The United States Is Still in an Extraordinarily Good Position 

Certainly true from his perspective.

Banks Reap Profits on Overdraft Fees as Customers Lose Money 

See what I mean?

The World Isn't Fair

He should know. And it works because he

Augmented Reality vs. Decimated Reality

helps ensuring we stay like this:

The laughable innocence of Facebook and Google (and us)

Incidentally, believing in corporate innocence is what public innocence is all about.

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Follow @DBDebunk Follow @ThePostWest


1.
The 'Quote of the Week' was posted on the QUOTES page.

2.
A 'To Laugh or Cry' item was posted on the LAUGH/CRY page.

3.
A link to an exchange I participated was posted on the FP ONLINE page.
Great idea, skeptical about success-it is against the societal grain. Societies are interested in conformism, not critical thinking.

4.
If this and many other such improvements are possible, what is the justification for still focusing on "denormalization for performance"?

In the same vein, why is Michael Stonebraker referring to "legacy relational DBMSs", while demonstrating that the performance limitations and solutions of current SQL systems have actually absolutely nothing to do with their being relational (which, in fact, they are not)? Indeed, everything is about implementation--how could it be otherwise? And he is one of the people who does know the fundamentals! Ah, yes, he is a vendor now.
  
To his credit, he rejects NoSQL for the right reasons and his solutions to the today's performance needs are sensible. But why does he want to preserve SQL, rather than come up with a TRDBMS? All those solutions, don't they validate our claim, for decades, that such a system can be excellent performer? Why, as an implementor, he did not design one?

Note: I happen to know what the solution is for the performance factors for which he does not have any, but unfortunately cannot say anything about it (it's deja vu TransRelational Model(TM) all over again).

5.
And now for something completely different.

Twitter's identity crisis

Zynga to lay off 18 percent of staff, shut offices, slash infrastructure

Facebook loses advertisers again

See a pattern? No? Does the following help?

Yahoo Shuts Down Mail Classic, Forces Switch To New Version That Scans Your Emails To Target Ads

How about this:

America, It's Time to Start Making Things Again

If you still don't, I've hinted about it in my last All Analytics post (see FP ONLINE PAGE). It was predictable.

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See: Foreign Keys Part 1: Understanding the Fundamentals