The Data Warrior

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17 Sep 2015

Vote for Oracle Developer Choice Awards!

All you Oracle peeps – get out there and cast your vote for the first round of Developer Choice Awards. See all the links in Karen’s post below.

TH Tech's avatarTH TECHNOLOGY

I am honored to be a finalist in the Oracle Database Developer Choice Awards, in the Oracle Application Express category.

I am most impressed with my fellow finalists – amazing devotion to helping the APEX community – and humbled to be included in such a crowd.  Congratulations to all!

Please check out the Oracle Database Developer Choice Awards main page, and check out the finalist in all categories:

Most important – Visit the Developer Choice Awards pages and Vote!

If you have comments to share, there is space to do so here, or on the page for each finalist.

Many thanks to the Developer Choice Awards team ~ I am most grateful and honored by the nomination and finalist status.

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Posted in Oracle | Leave a comment
15 Sep 2015
2 Comments

Better Data Modeling: Showing Super & Sub Types in #SQLDevModeler (SDDM)

So this started with a not so innocent tweet from Jeff Smith:

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Well, I sort of answered at least part of the question (eventually),  but along the way the topic of using super types and sub types came up.

Note: If you don’t know what a sub type is, you probably do not do conceptual or logical modeling, so you can stop reading now. Or google it. 🙂

So, in Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler (SDDM for short, or #SQLDevModeler) you can specify sub type entity relationships in the Logical Model (not relational or physical).

Unless I missed an enhancement (??), you have to do this by:

  1. Create the parent or super type entity
  2. Create the potential sub type entity
  3. Set the Super Type Entity property on the candidate Sub Type Entity to associate it with the parent.
Set Super Type

Set Super Type

Note in the screen that Super Type is set to Employees.

(It sure would be nice if we could just drag and drop to do this, or better just create a new sub type entity “inside” an existing entity)

Once you have set the property, then it will appear in the diagram in one of several ways, depending on the diagram notation you pick. The default is Barker Notation with Box-in-Box Presentation turned on. That looks like this:

Displaying Subtypes in Barker Notation with Box-in-Box

Displaying Sub Types in Barker Notation with Box-in-Box

If you turn Box-in-Box off (right mouse on white space in the diagram then go to Notation), you can drag the sub types outside the super type display and a red line will be displayed to connect them together.

If you switch to Bachman Notation with Box-in-Box off, it looks like this:

Displaying Subtypes in Bachman Notation

Displaying Sub Types in Bachman Notation

Notice the little red lines with arrows pointing into the Employees entity? That is the sub type relationship.

So depending on your personal experience and style, you have a few options to choose from when modeling these type of relationships.

How this converts to a database table design is a whole other (and longer) topic. If you really need to know now, go buy Heli’s SQL Dev Modeler Book and read the section on Inheritance.

Or you could sign up for my online Intro to SDDM (use coupon code GRAZIANO10S for 20% off).

Better Still – do BOTH!

Happy Modeling

Kent

The Data Warrior

P.S. I will be speaking at ECO15 in Raleigh, NC next week. If you are attending be sure to say hi.

Posted in Data Modeling, Oracle, SQL Developer Data Modeler and tagged , , , , , , , ,
06 Aug 2015
2 Comments

Recognizion for a DB Designer, FINALLY!

Yes, you can now get community recognition for your database design and data modeling efforts. This is a brand new award program so please nominate the best data modeler you know. And soon – nominations are closing. See the links below in Heli’s post.
(FYI – I am one of the evaluators)

Helifromfinland's avatarHeliFromFinland

Finally the work of a database designer will be recognized! Oracle has announced the Oracle Database Developer Choice Awards nomination and one of the categories makes me very, very happy: DB Design.

It has been too long that the work of a database designer has been ignored. If you know a great database designer, somebody who has been speaking up for the importance of database design even in bad times or somebody who has been helping you with database designing, go and nominate him/her NOW: https://community.oracle.com/community/database/awards

Thank you Oracle, for understanding the importance of database designing and promoting it!

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Posted in Oracle
01 Aug 2015

How to define a PK using Data Modeler?

A good “how to” article from Heli for those just getting started with Oracle Data Modeler. Don’t forget you get more good information like this from her new Oracle Press book on Amazon.com: Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler.

Model on!
Kent
The Data Warrior

Helifromfinland's avatarHeliFromFinland

Primary Key (PK) identifies uniquely each row in a table. There can never be two tuples with same values in PK.

There are two ways of defining a PK: a natural key or a surrogate key. I would say that if you can find a natural key that is always better. But it is not always possible and therefore we can also use surrogate PKs. Surrogates are usually sequence numbers that has no meaning to the business people, the end users.

Let’s have an example of an entity for all the users in a company.

PK1

PK2

1. Defining a natural PK

What I want is that there will never be more than one user with the same username. If this means that there can NEVER be two with the same username, I would define the PK like this:

PK3

You can see the PK definition from Unique Identifiers tab:

PK4

And by clicking…

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Posted in Oracle | Leave a comment
09 Jul 2015

You asked for it! #DataVault 2.0 Boot Camp with The #DataWarrior in The Woodlands, Texas

Yes it is on! This is your one chance this year to come to Texas and learned Data Vault

WHEN: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 at 8:30 AM – Friday, September 18, 2015 at 12:00 PM (CDT)

WHERE: The Woodlands, TX

How Much?

Early Bird Price: If you purchase before August 20, 2015 you get this discounted rate of $2,695.00

Standard Price: $2,895.00

This is a small intimate venue, so the total number of attendees is strictly limited.

Event Details

Data Vault 2.0 Boot Camp & Private Certification, hosted and taught by me, The Data Warrior, in the beautiful Woodlands, Texas! (This is the same class as developed and taught by Dan Linstedt)

THIS IS A 3 DAY COURSE. The morning of the 4th day (Friday) will be offered as a 2 hour exam time for those that wish to stay and take the exam. Everyone will have the opportunity to study for a week (instead of taking it the morning of the 18th), and then take the exam on-line.

This class is a 3 day intensive course that covers all aspects of the Data Vault 2.0 System of Business Intelligence. It really teaches you how to be a general practitioner, and enables you to implement Data Vault 2.0 successfully within your organization. CDVP2 (Certified Data Vault 2.0 Practitioner) is available privately for those who complete this course.

Prerequisite: This class will NOT cover DV basics, so you should have Data Vault 1.0 modeling certification or prior DV implementation experience. You should also have read the main Data Vault book – Super Charge Your Data Warehouse.

Here is the agenda for the class:

Day 1:

Business Justification:

– what, why

– where it fits

– who’s using it

Architecture:

– Systems architecture, Loading Architecture,

– managed self service BI (intro)

– where does NoSQL fit?

– integrating with Hadoop

Day 2:

DV2.0 Methodology:

– Agility (SCRUM, PMP, Six Sigma, KPA/KPI), issues, drivers

– team management, project overview

– CMMI & DV2.0 Project

DV2.0 Modeling (review section)

– Basic components, standard structures,

– reference tables

– PIT & Bridge constructs

Day 3:

DV2.0 Implementation

– Set Logic, Performance,

– Data Distribution

– ETL Templates to follow

– Working SQL example code

Review & Q&A

– Open session for questions, answers

– white-boarding

– deep-dive into specific topics

Logistics:

There are many great hotels nearby the event center. Contact me if you need a recommendation.

The event will be held in a state of the art conference room overlooking Lake Woodlands. There are plenty of restaurants and a Whole Foods within easy walking distance for lunch and happy hour (after class of course).

If you are coming from out of town, your best option is to fly into Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). It is an easy 20-30 minute drive up to The Woodlands

So sign up now to reserve your spot via Data Vault 2.0 Boot Camp & Private Certification with The Data Warrior Tickets, The Woodlands | Eventbrite.r

See you soon!

Kent

The Data Warrior

Posted in Data Modeling, Data Vault and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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