B5 - Relational Database Theory

Relational database theory is a new concept that has the ability to revolutionize the computing industry, making computers more powerful, have higher storage, and run faster than currently available models.  This theory uses tables (called relation or base relvar) to store data in rows (called records or tuples) and columns (called attribute or field).  The system works by storing different types of data in different tables, and for each table to have a column for a relationship value to a different table.  For example, if there are two tables, and table 1 identifies each of its rows as “P-1”, “P-2”, P-3”, etc., then table 2 can have a column that has those same identifiers to relate the two tables together.  This way, data can be organized into a single, massive array where everything can be referenced quickly.  This is much faster than the existing systems in solid state drives and hard drives where there are layers to their memories, which have to be sifted through before collecting the requested data.

Relational database theory was developed based off of the relational model of data, which was developed by E. F. Codd in 1970 [1].  Since that time, the related technology has been developed to be able to handle and apply this memory storage and processing system.  Hewlett-Packard spoke in 2014 about developing this technology and integrating it into commercially available computers that “…could offer six times the performance requiring 80 times less power.  [They] expect that the first prototype that HP is working on will have 150 compute nodes with 157 petabytes of addressable memory.” [2]. This was estimated to be complete by approximately 2016.  Compared to commercially available computers today, which typically can only handle 1 terabyte of storage memory, HP’s prototype can handle 157,000 times more data, and should still be able to run faster than current computers.  As stated, this technology has the ability to revolutionize the computing industry, as well as many other industries like construction who are moving towards larger file sizes, more complex softwares, and requiring high processing speeds to handle these new advancements in construction.

Citation:

[1] “Relational Database.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Dec. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_database.

[2] Jackson, Joab. “HP's Radical New Machine Could Start Computing by 2016.” PCWorld, PCWorld, 31 Oct. 2014, www.pcworld.com/article/2842252/hps-radical-new-machine-could-start-computing-by-2016.html.

Comment 1 Julie Handsted Anderson:

Julie, you’re explanation of relational database theory is much more condensed than mine, and I think you did a much better job of explaining it haha.  The image that you inserted in your blog post helps to understand the theory significantly, and I appreciate it.  I think the effects that this will have on the computing industry will significantly help the construction industry as computers become more powerful.  15 Years ago, we used floppy disks with about 200 megabytes of memory, and that was all that was needed.  Today, we are looking at files that are 5 gigabytes.  15 Years from now, we will probably be looking at 250 gigabyte files, which is the size of a single hard drive in computers today.  These developments in computing power are important and necessary to continue growing society.

Comment 2 Richard Kimball:

Richard, learning about normalization of tables in the relational database theory was a great learning experience that I did not come across in my research.  Getting that in depth into this research has clearly provided you an extra level of understanding on the subject matter.  If most databases aim to reach 3NF, you mentioned that some databases require a higher level of normalization.  Are there any that require to reach 6NF, as the maximum level?  I would be interested to learn which databases require this, and what their primary uses are.  Also, I am curious about the same topic, but for 1NF.  Why would a database strive for the most basic level, when the norm is 3NF?

Comment 3 Albert Hanan:

Albert, you gave a very nice synopsis of what relational database theory is, and its history.  I was unaware that Amazon Aurora uses this theory, and that there were also added security benefits to using this system as opposed to a NOSQL system.  Being 5 times faster is a huge benefit to a corporation as large as Amazon, as I would believe a processing speed that fast would be a necessity, as opposed to just being something nice to have for them.  I believe that as the world moves more towards larger databases and more storage requirements, this type of technology will become more and more necessary to continue the development of the world at the speed it is currently moving, and for each individual industry, including construction.