MS Access: a true RDBMS

D

Douglas J. Steele

What's your definition of a "true RDBMS"? I don't believe any DBMS exists
that implements all of the rules.
 
L

Lyle Fairfield

Why does jello have a smell when you add the powder in the water, but
when it "gels" the scent virtually disappears?
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than root beer floats?
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full English breakfast?
What is the point in saying "may I ask" and then follow it up with a
question?
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have to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth since they don't
believe in God?
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on it?
If a pack of gum says that each piece is 10 calories, is that amount
just chewing the gum, or also for swallowing it?
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the copyright info page in the beginning of many books?
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nothing else does?
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explosives, a lighter, and say have fun?
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would someone you knew or a family member have to pay the late fee?
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arrested (because they were seen on TV portraying the criminal)?
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just deep fried potatoes?
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beach?
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schizophrenia, but when a child has imaginary friends it's cute?
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squeeze these dangly things here and drink what comes out"?
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gonna eat the first thing that comes out if its butt"?
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and brimstone?
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becomes extra tempting to eat?
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chocolate?
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television? Don't they want the people without cable to buy the cable?
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law, they come out to Woman Hitler?"
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meaning 'many' in Latin, and 'tics' as in 'bloodsucking creatures'?
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is clear??
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hotter when you use the restroom?
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popcorn?
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the hardest thing to eat with?
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for a pit, and then the seeds are on the outside?
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cocoa beans, and all beans are a vegetable?
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we are put into the loony bin?
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before you go back?
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just bark in their face or something?
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free?
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You know the expression, "Don't quit your day job?" Well what do you
say to people that work nights?
 
D

Darryl Kerkeslager

How come only your fingers and toes get wrinkly in the shower and
nothing else does?

In a really cold shower, something else does ...

If there was a crumb on the table and you cut it in half, would you
have two crumbs or two halves of a crumb?

Two crumbs, which are infiinitely divisible.

Do Jewish vampires avoid crosses or Stars of David?

Not possible. Eating people is not Kosher.

Can you make a candle out of your earwax?

I'll get back to you on this one in a week or so ...

Why is there that little space inside strawberries, as if it was meant
for a pit, and then the seeds are on the outside?

It's actually for the milk and sugar.
 
S

sinister

Douglas J. Steele said:
What's your definition of a "true RDBMS"? I don't believe any DBMS exists
that implements all of the rules.

Well, for one, is there a DB server that maintains the DB?
 
T

Tim Marshall

sinister said:
Is MS Access a true RDBMS?

Sounds like a homework assignment. 8) ;)

The answer lies in finding (the late) E.F.COdd's rules for a truly
relational database. Google these terms.

Jet doesn't meet some of Codd's rules, but then again, there are
database theorists who claim there is NOTHING out there that fully meets
Codd's definition, though Jet misses a number of them.

But so what? There's two things to consider - is a database system
truly relational _and_ is the designer using appropriate relational
database principles?

In my mind, the latter question is by far the most important.

I've seen *lots* of Oracle database systems which many database
theorists classify as a true RDBMS (and some also claim is not, because
of their interpretation of Codd's rules) that are absolutely pathetic
imitations of anything relational. Try the infamous "Banner" financial
system for size - among other things, the absolute worst GUI I have ever
seen - I'd much rather be using something banged out by a 12 year old on
a Tandy in the early 80s. But there are lots of other examples I've
seen local Oracle developers produce. ON the same token, I've seen lots
of Jet applications which are quite faithful to principles of relational
design.

So your homework question is moot. 8)

Please be honest and include my full name in your bibliography if you
decide to use any of the above in your assignment - I'll just pop in my
work sig followed by my usual newsgroup sig, thanks. ;)

Tim Marshall 709 737-2662
Manager, Work Control
Facilities Management, Memorial University
St John's, NL, Canada
 
D

David W. Fenton

Well, for one, is there a DB server that maintains the DB?

That's not part of any definition of RDBMS, which is a mathematical
concept.

Implementation is irrelevant to status as a true RDBMS.

I suspect you're just a troll, since anyone with the capability to
frame the question in this regard knows the answer to the question
of whether there's a Jet server.

<PLONK>
 
D

David W. Fenton

Why is there a little countdown (like 8, 7, 6, 5, 4) near the
bottom of the copyright info page in the beginning of many books?

I can actually answer that one. It's so that they can indicate which
printing it is. It's easier to put all the numbers on the initial
films from which the plates for printing are created (or however it
works) and then to remove one number at a time for each printing
than it would be to add in a number that wasn't there originally.

So, the original printing had:

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The next one:

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

The next:

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

And so forth.
 
D

David W. Fenton

Are there pink lemons that make pink lemonade?

No. Pink lemonade has traditionally been colored with cochineal,
which makes pink lemonade non-vegetarian (since the dye is made from
the crushed bodies of insects):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal

However, I believe it's not widely used today in pink lemonade
mixes, which probably use normal red dyes.

So, you can probably drink most pink lemonade if you're a vegetarian
or Muslim or Jewish.
 
D

Dirk Goldgar

David W. Fenton said:
I can actually answer that one. It's so that they can indicate which
printing it is. It's easier to put all the numbers on the initial
films from which the plates for printing are created (or however it
works) and then to remove one number at a time for each printing
than it would be to add in a number that wasn't there originally.

Thanks, David, for a new factoid to add to my collection!
 
S

sinister

David W. Fenton said:
That's not part of any definition of RDBMS, which is a mathematical
concept.

Uh, no.

From _Fundamentals of Database Systems_, Elmasri & Navathe, 2nd edition, p.
2: "A database management system (DBMS) is a collection of programs that
enable users to create and maintain a database."

You're referring to the relational _data model_, which is indeed a
mathematical concept.
 
S

sinister

Tim Marshall said:
Sounds like a homework assignment. 8) ;)

The answer lies in finding (the late) E.F.COdd's rules for a truly
relational database. Google these terms.

I'm more interested in the "system" aspect than the "relational" aspect,
which I'm already familiar with.

Is Access built around a client-server paradigm, or is every user who
accesses the DB using their own instance of the server?
 
R

Randy Harris

If you're really looking for an answer to your question, go back to the very
first reply in the thread. Answer Doug Steele's question - define what you
consider a "true RDBMS". From your response to Tim, it sounds as though you
have something particular in mind. I strongly suspect, however, you are
more interested in starting an argument than getting an answer to your
question.
 
T

Tim Marshall

sinister said:
I'm more interested in the "system" aspect than the "relational" aspect,
which I'm already familiar with.

Is Access built around a client-server paradigm, or is every user who
accesses the DB using their own instance of the server?

HI again,

The definition of "true RDBMS", which is what you asked, is as I
responded. No ifs, ands, or buts. 8)

As to your second question: it depends. I, and many others, write
Access apps against a client server database, in my case, an Oracle
server. Access comes _packaged_ with the MS Jet database engine, which
is not a client/server package; it's a file server system. There are
folks who can better answer that question (which, again, is not what you
originally asked) than I can.

If you don't get any satisfactory answers and it seems one or two people
have interpreted this thread as a troll, you can google
comp.databases.ms-access for "file server" and you're sure to get some
excellent posts on what that is all about.

Best of luck.
 
T

Tony Toews

sinister said:
Is Access built around a client-server paradigm, or is every user who
accesses the DB using their own instance of the server?

Paradigm?!?! <shudder> A word I despise due to it's overuse in years
and decades past.

Clearly you've never used Access.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
 
A

Albert D.Kallal

As others mentioned, not even Oracle qualifies as a relational database when
you narrow the definition down to a strict cod's rules.
Is Access built around a client-server paradigm, or is every user who
accesses the DB using their own instance of the server?

yes, if you create a access project, you are using a 100% native client to
server model.

(from the file menu...go file->Project using new data...

If you use the above..then you are creating access file that is a client -
server paradigm.

So, ms-access lets you connect to your database engine of choice. Remember,
it would be silly to call VB a database.

It is same for ms-access. ms-access is a software development tool like c++,
or VB. You design and write code. The type of database you use with
ms-access is your choice.

So, to answer you question...yes, ms-access can be a true client to server
system....
 
S

salad

Albert said:
As others mentioned, not even Oracle qualifies as a relational database when
you narrow the definition down to a strict cod's rules.

When it comes down to writing an application, I've never hemmed and
hawed and contemplated my navel while pondering whether or not Access is
a "true" relational database. I'll let the acadamics decide that in
their ivory towers and let them get bogged down in the mundane while
solving and adding nothing new.

Others have asked this question before. Sinister could simply do what
normal people do and google his question.
 
D

David W. Fenton

As others mentioned, not even Oracle qualifies as a relational
database when you narrow the definition down to a strict cod's
rules.


yes, if you create a access project, you are using a 100% native
client to server model.

This is a ludicrous question. If you're using Access to connect to
SQL Server (or some other client/server db engine), then Access is
*not* being used as an RDBMS at all -- it's just an application
development platform.

The question of whether "Access is an RDBMS" makes sense *only* if
you're limiting the discussion to Jet.

And in that case, issues of client/server become completely
irrelevant because Jet cannot act as a server.

Nonetheless, this is completely irrelevant to any definition of
RDBMS that I've ever encountered. It is entirely an implementation
question, whereas the definition of an RDBMS is a logical
definition.
So, to answer you question...yes, ms-access can be a true client
to server system....

Your answer makes a complete hash of the distinction between Jet and
Access and of the basic issues at hand in this discussion.
 

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