B5 - Relational Database Theory

The use of databases is relevant in nearly every industry. The ability to store enormous amounts of data in database is useful in many ways such as being able to find (manually or electronically) any piece of data and its associated properties in an organized manner.

One model used to create databases is the Relational Model. This model was created by E.F. Codd, an IBM programmer, in 1970 [1]. Instead of traditionally organizing data sets in a hierarchical form, Codd proposed using tables instead. The tables consists of both rows and columns. Tables are referred to as relations, whereas rows are known as tuples and columns are attributes. Each tuple represents a different element, or a unique key to represent different instances of data entries. One analogy to describe how a relational database works is to define a relation as a set with two elements; a head and body. The head then contains the different attributes such as {ID, email} and the body shows the tuples such as {1, bob@msn.com} [3].

A relational database is usually maintained by SQL ( Structured Query Language) [2]. To access data, queries use operators such as select, project and join. Select identifies tuples (rows), project is for columns (attributes) and join is a combination of both [2]. Its main advantage over traditional organizing systems is that it reduces redundant data by its ability for users to filter and queue for the exact data they need [1]. Another advantage is that new entries can be put in without having to modify the entire database. The mathematical operators within each attribute help to make the organization more practical and efficient. However, one disadvantage to using a relational database is that it may take time to set up (still faster than manually inputting a large amount of data) and is highly variable in the way its programmed.

A relational database is a great innovation that has been used almost everywhere since its inception in the 1970s. It helps companies store huge amounts of data and retrieve necessary information with the use of queries. Companies, such as Microsoft are actively working on new and improved database organization systems, such as graph databasing to make the process work through “large analytical work loads” [4].

[1] Biscobing, J. (2018, May). relational database. In TechTarget. Retrieved from https://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/definition/relational-database

[2 ]Wikipedia contributors. (2018, December 7). Relational database. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:16, February 12, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Relational_database&oldid=872459713

[3] Relational Database Theory (2014). In O'Reilly Media. Retrieved from http://archive.oreilly.com/oreillyschool/courses/phpsql2/phpsql203.html

[4] Martin, A. J. (2017, February 20). Love lambda, love Microsoft's Graph Engine. But you fly alone. In The Register. Retrieved from https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/02/20/microsoft_graph_database_the_big_difference/

Comments on Others

Weiyi, I really like that you inputted a picture in your post. Databases are somewhat of an abstract concept - and it can get cumbersome to describe through text alone. Use of images really puts what you are trying to convey in a concise and understandable manner. I originally thought of databases as mainly useful for housing information such that you’d find in a phone book. However, your post shows its capabilities in office buildings, with the capability to estimate energy saving potentials.

Jenny, you did a great job in explaining what an object oriented database is and what its used for. I think the use of object oriented databases could speed up the manner that engineering drawing files are transferred from person to person. From experience, I know that takes a while. Also, with its emphasis on using a visual aid, I think it would be more intuitive to utilize over other types of databases.

Tyler, I can totally see the importance of databases in construction industry. As one of my coops was in a construction consulting firm, there is truly a lot of information that needs to be kept track of. Businesses that have a database system that is carefully curated and maintained tend to be more organized.