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2003-10-25Information SystemsDatabase TechnologyMicrosoft Access UnderpinningsThe Jet Database Engine is used in a great deal of Microsoft Windows software, and it has evolved beyond the version under early Microsoft Access releases. I find versions as recent as 5.0 on my machines. This overview is still applicable.Microsoft Office Developer Forum - Access - Jet Database Engine 2.0: A User's Overview. Here's a rather nice discussion of how Jet 2.0 fit into the Microsoft desktop and was used below MS applications. The methods by which Jet could be used to organize access to other data types and remote database implementations is also explained. Relational System Integrity RulesSession 4. Another nice summary of database integrity rules. This one also uses the full phrasing of "The key, the whole key ... ". This is by Tim Sylvester of Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona.AIS Bibliography. Some nice references, including more-accurate ones to where Codd put definitive material on his twelve rules and other requirements for relational database systems. Primary and Foreign Keys. A nice discussion of issues about what are candidates for primary and foreign keys and whether there must be a distinguished primary key for other than implementation purposes. Links on OOA, Object Oriented Analysis. The link that I love here is the one to normalization rules, and this paraphrase: "The key, the whole key, and nothing but the key, so help me Codd." Codd's 12 Rules. This is a summary of Codd's 12 rules (plus rule 0) by C. Kettemborough when at the University of Redlands, California. The material is from two ComputerWorld articles that E. F. Codd wrote. Enterprise Objects: Referential Integrity. This is a nice demonstration of referential integrity as applied to associations among objects in a distributed object model. PostgreSQL Incorporated. This is an Open BSD licensed RDBMS that has a long history going back to Berkeley. The center of development and support is now in Canada. There is a replication server as part of the latest releases. PostgreSQL CBT - Referential Integrity. This Flash-based tutorial defines referential integrity as a situation where information in one table refers to information in another and the database enforces the relationship. There is also notion of reference to other (unique) columns of target tables, and identifying that in the schema. ECS EPrints Service - Managing Reference: Ensuring Referential Integrity of Ontologies for the Semantic Web. Here's an interesting version of the referential integrity concept. Extended Referential Integrity (1). A brief article that points out that self-reference and cross-referencing must be watched carefully. On creation, one of the foreign keys must be NULL, so that no foreign key field is ever entered that can't be matched to an existing primary key. Once the primary key exists, the NULL value can be updated. When a primary key is updated or removed, there are more problems. One key characteristic is that some DBMS may prohibit deletion of a primary key so long there are references to it. This means that references must be NULLed before the record with the primary key can be deleted. The article points out some particular difficulties, especially when there are field overlaps (violating an independence normality condition though). referential integrity - Webopedia.com. This is the Webopedia entry for Referential Integrity. It is attributed to relational DBMS usage and the prevention of the entry of inconsistent data. 2003-10-22Computing MilieuSocial ImpactsOpen access to informationOpen Access Conference - Berlin Declaration. I have been following the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) and the discussions around fostering open access, including the assurance of stable archiving and accessibility over time. Today, the Berlin Open Access Declaration was published. This is a gentle proclamation with far-reaching consequences. In particular, it gives open acess priority over financial models that depend on subscriptions and sales for sustained operation. In this regard, the MIT open courseware initiative is similar. It is an open content first initiative. I find that this is touching and moving. I and other researchers still need to deal with organizational or archive affiliations to ensure that our work can survive our own attention span. Something for me to look at as I move more deeply into the retirement years. Privacy of informationDutch Privacy Page - Personal Data Protection Act. This is a translation of the data protection act that applies in the Netherlands, based on the EU data protection act. This came up in class related to the casual creation of derivative databases in organizations. Information SystemsModeling and Information ArchitectureModeling ToolsDOME Description. DOME is a Smalltalk application that has been GPL'd by Honeywell, it's original developer. It provides an extensible modeling tool. It would be interesting to see what it would take to move it into Java(!).It looks like DOME development has been inactive since August, 2000. 2003-10-21fabFORCE.net DBDesigner 4. Here's a database design tool that is designed to work with MySQL. It is also said to be open source. 2003-10-20AndroMDA - Homepage. This is an MDA-based code generator that works from the output of CASE tools. Something like this might be worthwhile for database and system architecture too, but I am looking to see if there are tools that come closer, first. CASE tool index. Here's a long list of CASE tools, though not sure what will help me with databases. theKompany.com :: Products : Data Architect : Overview. This product is a little more affordable, though it works with fewer RDBMS systems. The integration seems nice and even more interesting is use of an XML format to communicate models. Another find by classmate Jayne Loveman DDS-Lite - Relational Database Modeling Software. This is the Database Design Studio - Lite home page. The download price is $99, but I notice that I am reluctant to become more invested in tools. The FAQ showed some nice question resolutions, though. The idea of generated DDL and generated Java is still too much for me. I want to travel lighter than this for now, even though this sort of tool might be ideal. Classmate Jayne Loveman found this link. Information SystemsStatistics and Stochastic HeuristicsProbabilistic PredictionThis topic arises in a lot of settings. The Good-Turing estimator may be applicable to compression techniques and optimization of search structures too. Something to look into farther.Science -- Table of Contents {17 October 2003; 302 (5644)}This article is accessible only by subscription holders, but the table of contents provides the citation: "Always Good Turing: Asymptotically Optimal Probability Estimation. Alon Orlitsky, Narayana P. Santhanam, and Junan Zhang Science Oct 17 2003: 427-431. " Newswise: Improved Good-Turing Estimator Formula for assymptotic estimation of probabilities with limited attenuation.. This is about a technique that I.J. Good and Alan Turing came up with to improve the guessing of key choices for messages. The technique has been used since, and there is now an explanation for how it is so successful and a new estimator that is never "bad" in an useful sense. 2003-10-19Information SystemsDatabase TechnologyRelational Databases and DB2This material is part of my general inquiry into the background of DB2 and relational systems. We are going to use DB2 in the M.Sc in IT course on Databases that I am in now. So I am looking at the development of features and the current emphasis as part of our discussions in the week ending October 22.Search400.com, the source for news and tips on IBM iSeries, AS/400 and OS/400 servers. I have to return to this page and continue foraging. There is an article about Garlic and how it started, interviewing lead developer Laura Haas. The federation of data under DB2 is considered by Don Haderle to be a critical contribution among the research initiatives that supported DB2. SQL Reference for Cross-Platform Development This document, originally produced in 2002, demonstrates IBM's commitment to multi-platform operation. The March 2003 update covers portable use of SQL across the DB2 Universal Database Family, including version 8.1 on Linux, Unix, and Windows. This adds External table functions in queries External functions which include read-only SQL statements Identity column in a table definition Views using UNION Declared temporary tables Enhanced argument support for CALL statement Support for savepoints New scalar functions EXECUTE privilege on routines across all platforms Other portability enhancements to the common set. Paul McJones's Home Page. McJones, in addition to providing the 1995 SQL Reunion transcript, has one of those amazing careers where he is sort of part of the scene at a number of interesting times and events. I should tell John Weaver about this web site. The 1995 SQL Reunion: People, Projects, and Politics. In 1995 people who worked in System/R and the software that would evolve into DB2 held a 20th anniversary meeting on the work that led to relational databases and SQL. These discussions uncover a great deal of the history and the way that innovation occured and stumbled along inside of a corporation like IBM. But the most compelling part is the reminiscence by people who were there, talking about what they thought was important at the time and how that influenced the course they took. This is great narrative history. Meet the Experts: Don Haderle, IBM Fellow, VP and CTO, IBM Data ManagementHaderle talks about his first job in New York City and then getting a job with IBM in San Jose that eventually led to his involvement with DB2: "I joined the database project (known as EAGLE) in 1978. Bob Jackson led systems services and I led database services. EAGLE evolved into DB2, shipping to beta customers in 1983. It consumed twice the processor as hierarchical database systems to perform the same work. But you could develop and deploy an application 3-5 times faster. To broaden the market appeal we had to get the hardware costs down. By 1989 (DB2 V2.1) we had processor costs within 15% of hierarchical database systems, the capabilities for robust transaction processing, and highly competitive analytical and query capability, coupled with the advantages in application development and deployment. Sales of DB2 took off. " IDUG Solutions Journal: "Tools for a Comprehensive DB2 Environment". This 1996 article shows how complex the utility and tools support for DB2 was at that time. This becomes a legacy problem to overcome over time. Part of this has to do with the different notions of tool coherence that tend to prevail these days, and the way DB2 grew up in a time where many trade-offs were quite different. IBM Offering Information. This is the 2001-03-06 IBM Announcement Letter for DB2 version 7 on OS/390 and z/OS. It highlights the features that were part of that offering. Search390.com | IBM offers single view of mainframe tools. 2003-10-13 Coverage of an announcement of Tivoli Management Portal that provides an integrated, graphical view of mainframe resources for system management. This can be viewed as a view to reduce complexity and also provide greater automation to system operation and performance optimization that steps in as the generation of mainframe experts move rapidly toward retirement. IBM Fits DB2 With Automation. 2003-06-16, ah, the whole story. This is DB2 UDB Express 8.1 for Linux and Windows, with 65 tools for automating and simplifying database functions. There is a no-click automated install, plus wizards. It doesn't have the clustering, data-warehousing, data mining and OLAP support of the enterprise edition, but it still has support for XML, Web Services, Java, and the .NET CLR (C#, VB.NET, etc.), also with tools that integrate into Visual Studio .NET. They also provide DB2 ADO objects. Search390.com | IBM fits DB2 with automation. 2003-06-17 IBM offers a self-installing version of DB2 Enterprise Edition. DB2 for Linux Clustering scales to 1,000 nodes- ADTmag.com. 2003-01-22 This kind of technology includes operation with SAP, WebSphere, and Tivoli. AMD, IBM Unveil Beta Of 64-Bit DB2 On Opteron At LinuxWorld - CRN.com - 1/22/03 2:12:29 PM. The movement to 64-bit processing and more scaling is demonstrated earlier this year, with some interesting observations: "One solution provider aligned with Microsoft's SQL Server said IBM's DB2 is more cumbersome to manage but acknowledged that the 64-bit AMD/DB2 tandem may hold a price-performance edge over the 64-bit Itanium 2/SQL Server combination. 'IBM DB2 is a pain in the butt to administer and keep running in contrast with SQL Server, but it will probably have lower cost per transaction,' said Mark Alexander, president of ISC, a Tallahassee, Fla.-based Microsoft solution provider. " NewsForge | Linux, IBM database power map service, the largest public database on the Web Well now I know, it is 20 terabytes. I don't think this is good enough for realtor use at this point. TerraFly. A showcase for IBM of DB2 on Linux super-computer arrangements for a flyover view of large parts of the United States. My zip code is 98116 and I could barely find my house. I was not impressed by the speed of access and operation over the Web. On the other hand, I have no appreciation for the amount of data that must be carried to support this. Linux Today - IBM DB2 Universal Database Enterprise Edition, Version 7.1 for Linux download. 2000-09-21 DB2 Unversial Database 7.1 for Linux scales from single processors to massive clusters. It also features multimedia capabilities and other object relational support. There is support for Java, XML, and mobile solutions and for business intelligence. That's the hype at this point, with 7.1 on Unix. Linux Today - BW: ...IBM to Ship Hyperion's OLAP Technology With DB2 Universal Database. 2000-04-11 IBM Ship's OLAP with DB2 Version 7 DB2 Tools for Linux, Unix and Windows - IBM DB2 and IMS Tools. The current support for Tools for Linux, Unix, and Windows shows some of the multi-platform penetration of DB2 and the ways that it is supported by an increasing array of tools. IBM Data Management: IBM's DB2 Universal Database RECEIVES SHOW FAVORITE AWARD AT LINUXWORLD CONFERENCE & EXPO. 2000-02-04 at LinuxWorld there is a DB2 pedestal in the SGI booth and also a demonstration of DB2 with SAP. SGI - News Flash: IBM DB2 Universal Database Now Available on Linux Operating System-based Servers from SGI. 2000-02-03 DB2 Universal Database was offered on all SGI systems running Linux. IBM retooling Linux for new servers | CNET News.com. The expansion of databases onto 64-bit systems is assisted by the IBM experience with the Power PC 64-bit chip and the Power4 designs used in IBM servers and AIM platforms. So IBM also has its own processor platform as well as targetting Intel with both Linux and Windows implementations of DB2 (and 64-bit support). Rivals encroach on Oracle's database lead | CNET News.com. AN analysis, from 2001-10-15 on Oracle's slipping in market share, especially for its neglect of Windows as a platform. It is also the conventional wisdom, at this time, that Microsoft has the greatest ease of use, followed by IBM. Database dichotomy | CNET News.com. As part of the price competition that is going on, there is also the movement to operate on Intel clusters, whether with Microsoft or Linux operating systems, to provide scalability to high performance. Database dichotomy | CNET News.com. This 2003-05-14 article accounts for the drive to reduce complexity while still needing brawny databases at the high end. Customers are demanding more reliable, easier to manage, and cheaper to maintain systems. A Gartner analyst noticed more and more competition based on cost and manageability. The competition among DB2, Oracle, and SQL Server in mid-range installations is now bearing that out. Big Blue retools database pricing | CNET News.com. 2003-10-17-1335 The DB2 Express product runs on Linux and Windows and has a license fee of $624 plus $124 per user, or a flat $3,899 fee for unlimited users and running on up to 2 processors (cluster operation will come up separately here). This is a competitive move. One thing we are seeing is price competition between IBM and Oracle, which has introduced a standard edition for smaller organizations. Both seem to be warring with MS SQ Server which grew business faster than IBM and Oracle last year. So a major part of recent announcements is competitive positioning and breaking into adjacent markets, especially SMB. Based on the hand-wringing going on for installation of DB2 PE for our database class, IBM has a ways to go on the learning curve and installation ease side of things. AIS: The Role of Data Modeling. This is a very interesting article located by student Michael AbuZuluf. What I notice, for the first time in my courses (Software Engineering included) that there is finally welcome attention on the setting of the computing system as well as the larger enterprise systems, people, and processes that the automated elements must fit. This is an interesting article in that regard as well.
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