An Imitation of the Work of John Dennis
The subject of this imitation is a selection from "The advancement and reformation of modern poetry" by John Dennis. The selection is Part I Chapter V, entitled "That Passion is the chief Thing in Poetry, and that all Passion is either ordinary Passion, or Enthusiasm". The topic of discussion using this imitated form is concerning the status of the relationship method of data within a database system.
Following the form of the imitated author's work, this discussion asserts that the relationship method is the most important characteristic of a database system, and that such relationship method is either relational or non-relational. While the subject matter of this discussion is rather technical, the nature of the discussion should allow sufficient context to understand the concepts that are mentioned. Additionally, the technical nature of the subject matter requires the use of certain modernized language, but I did what I could to maintain the structure and tone of the imitated work.
That Relationship Method is the chief Thing in a Database System, and that all Relationship Methods are either Non-Relational or Relational
Before we engage in the discussion that is the topic of this essay, let us define a database system, since many different perspectives on the subject exist among both technical and non-technical observers.
A database system is a structure of computerized data that provides for the storage, cataloging, and retrieval of information. Let us explain the functionality of a database system with more detail.
Since a database system is a structure of computerized data, it is therefore a virtual object on a computer system. Given the virtual nature of the database system, it is clear that the tool of its operation is a computer system. It is also well-known that the use of records to store the lowest-level groupings of data is an inherent quality of a database, since these records are used to both store and retrieve information to and from the database in an orderly manner. A database is a database because it is orderly and efficient; it has the capability to organize and search its own contents. The types of data stored within the records of a database are only locally relevant to the records themselves -- and therefore they are irrelevant to the operation and structure of the database system as a whole -- because they simply segregate the different pieces of information stored in a record. Within the database system is a relationship method that determines how the database is structured and how its data interacts during insertion and retrieval.
A relationship method is thus the defining characteristic of a database system, and consequently must be present and consistent throughout each database; for without a relationship method, a database cannot exist and data is simply aggregated in a flat data storage system. Although a flat data storage system is indeed a real concept, it is inefficient and ill-suited to scalability of the data it holds. Accordingly, let anyone who analyzes a data storage system, where information must be retrieved and manipulated, conclude, that if the system is without a relationship method, the data system is poorly designed and ineffective as a tool for data storage and retrieval.
There must be a relationship method in every database, and more relationships between different categories of data provide for more effective data storage and manipulation, unless the relationships and categorizations are too numerous and unwieldy for the data being handled. Thus, it is clear that when relationships are used to structure a database system in the "relational" relationship method, relationships must be consistently used throughout the database design. However, this structure is not applicable to the data managed by every database system. Accordingly, there must then be two distinct relationship methods: the relational method previously described, and the non-relational method. I call that relational relationship method, whose clear and effective structure binds data grouped into several tables within a single database; and I call the relationship method non-relational, when its nature causes the data within the database to be grouped into a single or multiple unrelated tables. As a database developer reaches the pinnacle of their training, they can use a large number of effective relationships to manage large quantities of data in massive databases using the relational relationship method. However, a talented database developer recognizes when such relationships are not suited to the data being managed, and thus uses a non-relational relationship method for to allow their database system to handle the data storage and retrieval.
And thus I have shown that the chief thing in a database system is the relationship method of the database. However, the reader should note that the discussion herein regards database systems in general, according to their relationship methods. The actual data stored in the database records is completely left to the discretion of the database designer and the application at hand. The relationship method of the database is the chief thing in the body of a database system, whether relational or non-relational; without it, a database is nothing but an aggregation of data.
Reference
Dennis, John. That Passion is the chief Thing in Poetry, and that all Passion is either ordinary Passion, or Enthusiasm from The advancement and reformation of modern poetry. (1701).
Citation
Eckert, Daniel C. An Imitation of the Work of John Dennis: That Relationship Method is the chief Thing in a Database System, and that all Relationship Methods are either Non-Relational or Relational. (2009, September 30).