Chris Date Seminar
The Melbourne DB2 Users Group (MDUG) is pleased to invite you to free Database Seminar to be presented by legendary database designer Chris Date.
Chris will present two sessions :-
Session 1: Foundation Matters
Session 2: Database Graffiti
Foundation Matters Abstract.
This session is meant as a wake-up call ... The foundation of the database field is, of course, the relational model. Sad to say, however, there are some in the database community──certainly in industry, and to some extent in academia also──who don't seem to be as familiar with that model as they ought to be; there are others who seem to think it isn't very interesting or relevant to the day-to-day business of earning a living; and there are still others who seem to think all of the foundation-level problems have been solved. Indeed, there seems to be a widespread feeling that "the world has moved on," so to speak, and the relational model as such is somehow passé. Nothing could be further from the truth! In this session, Chris will sketch the results of some of his own investigations into database foundations over the past twenty years or so; his aim is to convey some of the excitement and abiding interest that is still to be found in those investigations, with a view to inspiring others in the field to become involved in such activities.
Database Graffiti Abstract
This session is based in part on one of Chris Date's regular columns in Database Programming & Design (the tenth anniversary issue), but includes much additional material. It consists of a series of quotations, aphorisms, and anecdotes──seasoned with a fair degree of personal commentary──that are (mostly) relevant to the general subject of database management. The session is not technically deep, but several serious messages do lie not too far below the surface. The aim is partly to edify, partly just to amuse.
Topic outline:
· The prehistoric era
· Objects and objections
· Normalization, networks, and nulls
· The role of simplicity
· The joy of self-reference
· Some fundamental principles
· Relational misconceptions
· Some good quotes
· Books and book reviews
Speaker Biography:
C. J. Date is an independent author, lecturer, researcher, and consultant, specializing in relational database technology. He has been active in the database field for more than 30 years and was one of the first people anywhere to recognise the significance of Ed Codd’s pioneering work on the relational database model. Mr Date has produced numerous technical papers and articles on various aspects of database technology and is best known for his book An Introduction to Database Systems (eighth edition, Addison-Wesley, 2004), which has sold some 725,000 copies and is used by several hundred colleges and universities worldwide. He is also the author of many other books on database management, including most recently:
· From Morgan Kaufmann: Temporal Data and the Relational Model (coauthored with Hugh Darwen and Nikos A. Lorentzos, 2003)
· From O'Reilly: Database in Depth: Relational Theory for Practitioners (2005)
· From Addison-Wesley: Databases, Types, and the Relational Model: The Third Manifesto (coauthored with Hugh Darwen, to appear 2006)
Another book, Go Faster! The TransRelationaltm Approach to DBMS Implementation, is also due for publication in the near future.
Mr. Date enjoys a reputation that is second to none for his ability to communicate complex technical subjects in a clear and understandable fashion.
Attendance:
To attend one or more of the sessions, please RSVP by phone or email to John McKinnon whose details areshown below. Please note that places for this seminar are limited.
Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Times: 08:30 – Registration
09:00 – 12:30 – Seminar 1, Foundation Matters
12:30 - 01:30– Light Lunch
01:30 – 3:00 – Seminar 2, Database Graffiti
3:00 – 4:00 – Afternoon Tea
Venue: Langham Hotel,
1 Southgate Avenue,
Southbank.
Victoria. 3006
RSVP: John McKinnon, IBM Australia
Email:
Phone: (03) 9626-6463
Cost: Free, but please respond via RSVP so that catering can be arranged.