Yackity Blog Blog

My nephew Raphael (having 2 nephews named Raphael, I should clarify that it is the younger one) sent me some funny pictures. I thought I'd put it up in my Blog.

Glorious Sun ...

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Wonders of Science ...

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and lastly, fact of life ...

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Hope that brought some smiles

Getting input from the users increases the quality of a data model. Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions facilitate and accelerate the modeling process. During the JAD sessions, subject matter experts validate the model with respect to supported and identified functions and processes.

CRUD (Create Read Update Delete) Matrix is one technique to map the data model to the process model. The CRUD matrix helps identify:

• Missing Process : A business process exists that is not supported by the model; The data model needs to be adjusted to include the missing process
• Redundant Data Entity : A data entity exists that is not required to support a process

Think of CRUD in terms of how the data and process interact with each other. Using the simple example from the First 3 Rules of Data Normalization for Newbies, below is a simple example of a CRUD matrix:

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In this example, the process “Establish New Employee”, the entities (can be thought of as tables) of the model that are required to support the process are Employee, Employee Dependents, Warehouse (which warehouse will the new employee be assigned to).

Let us assume further that this model is only for employees and their training needs. Having an entity Product is a redundant entity. Of course, one can leave that entity in the model. However, it shows that for the scope of this particular model, it is not needed.

A friend of mine called around 8 PM tonight concerned about me. I live by the ocean. There was a tsunami warning which was briefly in effect from the California-Mexico border all the way north to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. There was a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck at about 7:50 p.m, by the Coast of Northern California, 91 miles, WSW (252°) from Crescent City, CA. I assured my friend that Crescent is far away from where I live. Crescent is about 20 miles south of the Oregon border and 300 miles away from San Francisco.

The tsunami warning was called off an hour after the earthquake. So, to all of you concerned about me (and Joseph), I am (we are) fine and the waves seem to be behaving. Thank you for all your concern.

There are some concerns about blogging. There are stories about people being fired from a job because of what he/she has written in their blogs. We have also seen instances where one's work is published verbatim in another's website without citing its author or reference. Some people simply ask about the intellectual property issues about one's work. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a donor-supported membership organization based in San Francisco, provides a legal guide for bloggers in their website - EFF: Legal Guide for Bloggers.

For all of us bloggers, or those who are discouraged about blogging because of issues and concerns, I think these guidelines are worth checking out.

A seed, confirmed by carbon dating to be 2000 years old grows into a plant. This is just amazing ... that is what I said to myself when I read this article by the San Francisco Chronicle: Seed of Extinct Date Palm Sprouts After 2,000 Years.

When I was a child, the seed growing into a plant was always used as a simile for me. I was always told that one's potential is like a seed. With nurture, the seed grows and blossoms into a plant or even a majestic tree. After reading this article, I could almost hear my parents telling the seed simile to me. Then I thought, yes, even a seed that is extinct holds within it potential.

Source of Picture: Photo by David Blumenfeld, special to the Chronicle