Re: Simple relational database program to replace Access

On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 10:27:57 -0600, Sally Thompson wrote (in article
<0001HW.C003EF0D00E4BBBFF0407550@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>):

> I have just looked at Filemaker Pro which is relational, but is very
> expensive and probably over the top for my needs.

Not picking on you, Sally, but one of my pet peeves is that the term
"relational" as applied to databases has become quite distorted from the term
as originally used by E. F. Codd, who, if I am correct, fathered the term. A
true relational database allows the association between relations, "tables"
if you wish, to be totally dynamic. The association between relations in
FileMaker Pro and 4th Dimension is static, that is, it is defined in the
underlying definition of the application and is not something that the user
of that application can, on the surface, easily change. A true relational
database allows for the spontaneous generation of new relations from existing
relations.

Now, and as an aside, I have been working and will hopefully soon make
available a true personal relational database which I have dubbed "Q5" for
the five queries a reporter makes, "who, what, when, where, and why". Keep
your eyes and ears open!


--
James L. Ryan -- TaliesinSoft

.

Relevant Pages

  • OT What is the comparison of Access to Filemaker Pro.
    ... Among other things is Filemaker Pro a relational database. ... Some of my readings ... It also looks like it would be a good deal harder to work with. ...
    (comp.databases.ms-access)
  • Re: Multiple-Attribute Keys and 1NF
    ... Codd suggests that it may be ... impetus behind "normalization" is to model the universal data sublanguage ... The no duplicates rule has to do with the ... that the first relational database systems would use records to represent ...
    (comp.databases.theory)
  • Re: Multiple-Attribute Keys and 1NF
    ... I honestly think that the impetus behind "normalization" in the Codd 1970 ... The no duplicates rule has to do with the ... that the first relational database systems would use records to represent ...
    (comp.databases.theory)
  • Re: Multiple-Attribute Keys and 1NF
    ... I honestly think that the impetus behind "normalization" in the Codd 1970 ... worthwhile to consider the subset of schemas that contain only atomic ... The no duplicates rule has to do with the representation ... in a relational database, and that one of the columns of a relational table ...
    (comp.databases.theory)
  • Re: Foreign key problem
    ... Section 3.2 Nine Practical Reasons for Supporting Domains: ... concept in determining whether a given relational database is integrated. ... It does look to me as if Codd had coherence in mind because he talks of holding a relational database together even though his example may be too deep for me. ... For example, in a domain of people's names, I would prefer that "paul c" and "Paul C" would identify the same person. ...
    (comp.databases.theory)