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The principles of database design, or, the Truth is out there
Every software project needs to represent the reality of the business he is embedded in. The way we can represent reality as limited rational beings is through propositions, i.e, declarative statements that affirm or deny something about reality. When a collection of such propositions is stored in a computer system, we call it a database. Such database needs to be designed to properly reflect reality. This can’t be automated, since the semantics of the situation need to be encoded in a way that can be processed by a computer.
Poor design leads to semantic confusion and technical instability—with consequences that can be costly and far-reaching. The cathedral’s west facade featured 28 statues that portrayed the biblical Kings of Judah. They didn’t portray French kings, but no matter: The 500-year-old statues combined monarchy and religion, and they were brought to the cathedral’s square and decapitated.
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