Existential Duality - How Do Databases Work?

Apple Inc has filed a patent for a new technology called ‘transparent texting’. Those who text while walking can have a safer experience with this. The rear camera of the smart phone will play the live video of what is in front of the user. So she can see the path she is walking through with text over laying on it. This will prevent stumbling over objects in her path. This feature could be activated with just the press of a transparency button. But, I do not know if I can adapt, to concentrating on text popping on a live background screen and at the same time understand that that’s a stumbling block on the background, easily.

Now, here are the answers to my question in the previous article.

Here we have the table of an individual’s shopping details which we will call Shop_Det from now on.

 

Date Shop_Name Amount
01/01/2014 VBJ Diamonds 50,000
06/01/2014 Kovai Fruits  750
10/01/2014 Nilgiris 725
13/01/2014 Kovai Fruits 500
21/01/2014 Max 800
23/01/2014 Kovai Fruits  100
25/01/2014 Baskin Robbins 250

 

The data in this table is arranged in the form of rows and columns. In relational database terms the row is called a tuple and the column is an attribute. Here we have 7 tuples and 3 attributes namely ‘DATE, SHOP_NAME ,AMOUNT ’. So a relation is described as a table. A relation is a set of tuples with the same attribute. In this table each tuple talks about a particular well defined act called shopping where data about the act is described in each tuple. This relational model was first defined by Codd. He clearly defined a set of 12 rules that say what a Relational DataBase Management System( RDBMS) is.

So, whenever we make a transaction by swiping a card, data gets updated in the server’s database- in a similar table of this kind, which may not be this simple. Then an alert message reaches your mobile about the swipe; Of course, if your details of personal contact information remains up to date.

But what then is a database? Does data get arranged (only) in a chronological order like this automatically? Let’s learn that next.

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Kanchana Selvakumar
Kanchana is a passionate Creative Writer. She has immense interest in visualising technology through creativity. Her creative technical articles are posted at OradbaIndia . She is basically an electronics engineer with 15+ years of Information Technology experience which includes working as a freelancer and remote working. She is also passionate about English Poetry. Poetry including picture poetry can be read P4Poetry .If not in the vast world of software and systems, she likes to be lost in the exciting tiny world of her kids.

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