This site is free. However, its maintenance demands time, effort and expense. If you deem it interesting and/or useful, please support the effort via purchases of BOOKS and PAPERS and/or contributions to keep it free.

The Problem

"[Current DBMS] deficiencies are, it seems to me, directly due to the widespread lack of understanding (not least on the part of vendors), of fundamental database principles. Certainly it is undeniable that they flout those principles in numerous ways. And the practical consequences are all too obvious. First, users must understand where the deficiencies lie. Second, they have to understand just why they are deficiencies. Third, they have to understand how to work around them. Fourth, they have to devote time and effort in persuading the vendors to remedy them.The trouble is, of course, users too tend to be unaware of those same fundamental principles and, hence, find themselves unable to carry out their side of the "contract" (a "contract" that should not have been allowed, or agreed to in the first place, of course). What is more, this sad state of affairs is not likely to change given the apparent lack of interest on the part of the trade press--itself unaware these same principles--in trying to improve matters." --C. J. Date

Data professionals and users are not familiar with the history and fundamentals of the database field. Consequently, technology is actually regressing!

The Solution

DATABASEDEBUNKINGS (DBDebunk) is an educational blog, the purpose of which is:

• To make data fundamentals accessible to practicing data professionals and users; 
• To correct myths and misconceptions about and explain the practical implications of data fundamentals -- concepts, principles and methods -- that are misused, abused, or are ignored in the industry;
• By means of the McGoveran interpretation of his correct formalization pf Codd's true RDM -- distinct from the distortion that passes for it in the industry;

• Thinks critically and independently;
• Prefers understanding to the "cookbook" approach and soundness to fads, fashion and expediency;
• Appreciates the difference between education and tool training;

regardless of the DBMS used.

How to Use the DBDebunk Site

Since its inception, Blogger has had a 200 character limit on the set of labels per post and Google, as is its wont, does not bother to expand it. Moreover, there are more fundamental terms than can be practically included in the label list. Having looked for and failed to find a widget or programmatic solution, the only way around these limitations is to use acronyms and abbreviations as labels. It is cumbersome, but it expands searching and serves an educational purpose -- you can familiarize yourself with fundamental terminology. 

Labels and the FUNDAMENTALS Page

The FUNDAMENTALS page lists data fundamental terms with their acronyms or abbreviations, if any. The terms, abbreviations or acronyms that have labels on the label list are marked in red.

To find posts referencing a term of interest:

1. Look it up in the label list: 

• Is it, or its acronym on the list?
• If yes, search by it.If not, you may not recognize its acronym or abbreviation (unfortunately, Blogger does not allow to document what they stand for in the label list itself).

2. Look it up on the FUNDAMENTALS page: Is your term on it? 

• If yes, is it red, or does it have a red abbreviation or acronym?

- If yes, do a label search by it; 

- If not, do a full term Blogger search. If not, try a Blogger search. If no luck, email me -- it may be worth adding a label.

• If not, do a Blogger full term search.

For example, say you are looking for posts about logical-physical confusion -- the abbreviation is LPC and it has a label. If you know the abbreviation, you can look for it in the label list and search by it. If you don't, go to the FUNDAMENTALS page and look for your full term, which is listed in red with LPC as the label and do a label search.

Now, suppose you're looking for posts about disjunctive constraint, which does not have an abbreviation or label. You go to the FUNDAMENTALS page, where it is listed without an acronym and is not in red, so there is no label and you do a full term Blogger search.

Note very carefully, however:

• For label searches the results are based on my judgment of the relevance/significance of the term in the post  (I may tag a post with a label even if the term is not referred explicitly, but I deem it implicitly significant). So you will end up with posts "curated" by me (so to speak).