Week 5 - Relational Database Theory

            The word database has become synonymous with the advent of computers.  Databases are used all over the world and are used by both companies and individuals alike.  Not only that, databases can be comprised of many different things; for example, Drexel has databases that keep account of student finances, student enrollment, and even has subscriptions for databases in the library that allow students to search numerous sources to gather information for projects.  One well known type of database is the relational database.

            A relational database is a database that organizes all of its information into separate columns.  These columns could have several different categories of information in each one that would relate to a particular topic [3].  One example is a payroll database that has rows of employee names with their respective salaries, tenure, and position in different columns. 

Despite the having “relational” in its name, this database does not use that word in a context one would think.  One would assume that the “relational” part of this database comes from relating data to data, but it really comes from mathematics [3].  This goes back to math because of the thousands of possible tables that have data that each table can target onto when retrieving the information.  This mathematical property would allow the user to access the data without having to fully understand the physical design of the database [2].  

This whole concept came from the engineers and researchers at IBM in the 1970s.  Dr. Codd from IBM designed the idea that data could be gathered from all over the database without the database knowing exactly where it is when searching for it.  This was accomplished by using a value that was assigned to the data instead of using the data itself when searching for it amongst the thousands of data entries that were scattered in the database [2].  This was revolutionary idea due to the major leaps in efficiency that it brought to the data world. 

Some turbulence was brought into the “relational database world” when sites that require “Big Data” started to emerge.  At first, the sites claimed that relational databases built from SQL were not appropriate for their sites.  However, as time went on, some problems began to emerge [1].  Although not using SQL relational database was quick to form and manage at the start, as more and more information was included, many different issues arose which made it more complicated to control all of the data.

In summary, relational databases are a great tool to use when controlling large amounts of information in databases.  It allows the user to find the relevant data more quickly due to the relations between tables and columns throughout the databases.

             

 Comments:

-Steve: I like how you touched upon the use of databases in Intelligent Buildings.  I'm surprised that I looked over that completely despite that being the overall course topic.  Intelligent Buildings and databases will go hand in hand due to the amount of information that sensors and other pieces of technology will provide the structure.

-Audrey: It was interesting to read about SQL from what you posted since my topic kept referring back to SQL numerous times.  I did read something about NoSQL databases like you touched upon.  From the source I read, the expert being interviewed said that issues like bogging-down the system are a very prevalent issue, and it is making some companies rethink the way they hold information and data.

Sources:

[1] "Don't Write Off Relational Databases For Big Data Just Yet." ReadWrite. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2014. <http://readwrite.com/2013/01/21/dont-write-off-relational-databases-for-big-data-just-yet?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+readwriteweb+(ReadWriteWeb)#awesm=~ovpPXysQhbhQKU>.

[2] "Relational Database." IBM100 -. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2014. <http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/reldb/>.

[3] "What Are Relational Databases?" HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2014. <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question599.htm>.

Week 2 - Future Analysis Techniques - Group A

Think back in the last decade.  How much has technology improved over the past ten years?  Ten years ago, I was still using a 3.5 inch floppy disk to save word documents which would only hold 1.44 MB of data.  Fast forward to the present, I have a 16 GB flash drive that puts the old floppy to shame.  As time progresses, more and more improvements and advancements in technology will arise, giving way to more uses and easier access to data.  In addition, the way these new inventions and data are used will affect the way professionals will analyze different aspects of design.

The way professionals are using technologies to perform analyses is already being researched and used in many different fields.  One prime example is the use of AI algorithms to analyze and evaluate a treatment for a patient in the medical field.  According to researchers, the algorithm that they tested was not only able to give a better diagnosis of the patient by 41%, but it also significantly reduced the cost of the whole situation by up to 58%.  Since the AI is a computer, it uses data and historical details to diagnose a patient, rather than a human doctor’s intuition [3]. 

Although this is occurring in the medical, this same sort of use of future tech can be used to analyze the structures of today and of the future.  Companies like GE are already using this approach of intertwining technology and their production to more efficiently control their different departments [1].  This method that GE is doing and the way the tech is used in the medical field could be implemented into a building to help automate the whole structure through its construction and lifetime. During construction, BIM modeling can help stream line the design process by having the model ready for all parties involved, and during the lifetime of the structure, the different pieces of tech can relay messages regarding different aspects of the building.  For example, by having the computers analyze the data from the outside temperature and the data of how often doors and windows are open, the system can help regulate the HVAC systems more efficiently.  GE does this in regards to manufacturing.  By having the processes and the tech used effectively, a building can add thousands to its value, and in GE’s situation, add a trillion dollars to the company’s value [1].

One final bit of future analysis that could be used in intelligent buildings are data algorithms that can detect changes in a material’s behavior.  By using cameras, a computer could analyze the pixels of an image and decode those pixels to determine what was being seen in the photo.  It could then use pattern recognition to determine what is going on in the image and determine if any action is needed [2].  This is a great tool that could be used in the future to put cameras in different parts of structure for structural health monitoring.  With the cameras hooked up to a system, the code of a program could determine if a crack was generating in a weak spot and send notification that a plan of action must be taken.  My colleague, Matt Morimoto, goes more in depth about ways to test different structures and seeing if failure is possible in that structure.

With technology changing faster and faster each year, the possibilities of future analyzing techniques are endless.  Only time will tell regarding how these techniques will turn out.  One interesting advancement that can be seen in my group members post, Steve Bartel, is the ability of programmers creating robots that can adapt to situations by using data mining to gather several parcels of information to analyze a situation.

References:

[1] "General Electric Adds to Its ‘Industrial Internet’." Bits General Electric Adds to Its Industrial Internet Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

[2] "Real “touch” Screens and Tasteful Computers: IBM Predicts the Future — Tech News and Analysis." Gigaom. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

[3] "Researchers Say AI Prescribes Better Treatment than Doctors — Tech News and Analysis."Gigaom. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.