Fabian Pascal
Encyclopedia
Fabian Pascal is a consultant to large software vendors such as IBM
, Oracle Corporation
, and Borland
, but is better known as an author and seminar speaker. Born in Romania
, Pascal lives in the San Francisco, CA
area of the US
, and works in association with Christopher J. Date
.
Pascal is known for his sharp criticisms of the data management
industry, trade press
, current state of higher education
, Western culture
and alleged media bias
. Pascal advocates strict adherence to the principles of the relational model, and argues that departing from the model in the name of pragmatism is responsible for serious data management troubles. Criticism of Pascal's advocacy often centers around his polemical style, which some perceive as overly confrontational and unprofessional.
He has retired from the technological industry and then did political commentary, specially on Middle East issues.
. 278 pp.
. 256 pp.
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
, and Borland
Borland
Borland Software Corporation is a software company first headquartered in Scotts Valley, California, Cupertino, California and finally Austin, Texas. It is now a Micro Focus subsidiary. It was founded in 1983 by Niels Jensen, Ole Henriksen, Mogens Glad and Philippe Kahn.-The 1980s:...
, but is better known as an author and seminar speaker. Born in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Pascal lives in the San Francisco, CA
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
area of the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and works in association with Christopher J. Date
Christopher J. Date
Chris Date is an independent author, lecturer, researcher, and consultant, specializing in relational database theory.-Biography:Chris Date attended High Wycombe Royal Grammar School from 1951 to 1958 and received his BA in Mathematics from Cambridge University in 1962. He entered the computer...
.
Pascal is known for his sharp criticisms of the data management
Data management
Data management comprises all the disciplines related to managing data as a valuable resource.- Overview :The official definition provided by DAMA International, the professional organization for those in the data management profession, is: "Data Resource Management is the development and execution...
industry, trade press
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, current state of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, Western culture
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
and alleged media bias
Media bias
Media bias refers to the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the...
. Pascal advocates strict adherence to the principles of the relational model, and argues that departing from the model in the name of pragmatism is responsible for serious data management troubles. Criticism of Pascal's advocacy often centers around his polemical style, which some perceive as overly confrontational and unprofessional.
He has retired from the technological industry and then did political commentary, specially on Middle East issues.
Quotes
- "A lot of what is being said, written, or done in the database management field — or whatever is left of it — by vendors, the trade press and "experts" is irrelevant, misleading, or outright wrong. While this is to a degree true of computing in general, in the database field the problems are so acute that, claims to the contrary notwithstanding, technology is actually regressing!"
- "The relational model is application of science — logic and math — to database management. The notion that one is "fanatic" about that is tantamount to claiming that civil engineering is fanatical about the laws of physics. Such a claim reveals problems more serious than ignorance of data fundamentals, and THAT is what deserves disdain." Fabian Pascal, August 29, 2005
Publications
. 336 pp.. 278 pp.
. 256 pp.
See also
- Christopher J. DateChristopher J. DateChris Date is an independent author, lecturer, researcher, and consultant, specializing in relational database theory.-Biography:Chris Date attended High Wycombe Royal Grammar School from 1951 to 1958 and received his BA in Mathematics from Cambridge University in 1962. He entered the computer...
- Hugh DarwenHugh DarwenHugh Darwen is a computer scientist who was an employee of IBM United Kingdom from 1967 to 2004, and has been involved in the history of the relational model.- Work :...
- David McGoveranDavid McGoveranDavid McGoveran is a consultant, researcher, lecturer, and industry analyst to the software industry; author of numerous books and articles in the fields of relational databases, transaction processing, business intelligence, business process management, mathematics, and physics; and an inventor...
- Nikos LorentzosNikos LorentzosNikos Lorentzos is a Greek professor of Informatics. He is a specialist on the Relational Model of Database Management, having made significant contributions in the field of temporal databases, where he has co-authored an important book with Hugh Darwen and Christopher J Date.- Bibliography : , . ...
- POODPoodPood , is a unit of mass equal to 40 funt . It is approximately 16.38 kilograms . It was used in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Pood was first mentioned in a number of documents of the 12th century....
(Principle of Orthogonal DesignPrinciple of Orthogonal DesignThe Principle of Orthogonal Design was developed by database researchers David McGoveran and Christopher J. Date in the early 1990s, and first published "A New Database Design Principle" in the July 1994 issue of Database Programming and Design and reprinted several times...
) - POFN (Principle of Full Normalization)