Re: Data storage, data exchange, data manipulation

["Thomas B. Passin" <tpassin@home.com>]

Uh, oh, this is starting to sound a lot like ASN.1!

Cheers,

Tom P

[Jeff Lowery]

> I think it was Tom Passin who pointed out the distinction between
conceptual
> and physical data models. This would imply conceptual as well as physical
> schemas, although I think all schemas to date are schemas that model a
user
> domain with some physical representation in mind. Can there be a
conceptual
> Schema? UML may get us close to defining one, but even there I think UML
is
> tainted by physical model pollution in subtle ways.
>
> So a conceptual schema independent of physical representation is
conceivable
> to my mind. That representaion would then be transformed to various
physical
> schemas, although probably not isomorphically.
>
> Now, the rules for defining a conceptual schema based on business domain I
> think could be formalized, just like database schemas normalization rules
> are formalized. I think a conceptual schema would model a physical reality
> in the same way that mathematics models a physical reality (plus some
> surreality for good measure).
>
>