Cecilia Cheung wrote:
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 12:57:21 -0400
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [authors] Base Guide
Cecilia Cheung wrote:
An outline of restructured chapter 1 for the Base user guide is now available
in the feedback folder, please let me know your comments.
Cecilia
Looking through your proposed outline for restructuring chapter 1, I'm
wondering if the outline for the entire Base Guide should be revised
extensively as well as well (perhaps rewritten). The later chapters
would flow better from what is introduced in Chapter 1 than they would
as they are now written. Just one of my thoughts.
Earlier, mention was made for whom we were writing the Base Guide.
What do we think their expertise in using databases will be? If they
have an database educational background, they will already know the
technical terms which apply to databases. What about those who have not
had a class in databases? How much of a problem will the technical terms
to be introduced in Chapter 1 be to them?
Here are the technical terms to which I refer: entities,
attributes, secondary key, and database management system. Terms used
within base include field name, field type, field properties,
relationships (inner join, outer left join,outer right join, full outer
join, and database engine. Another term use: RDMS (relational database
management system).
My concern is that introducing too many new terms too quickly
might create some problems for those not familiar with technical terms.
To understand what is written, the reader must understand at least 75%
of the words. (So stated a college professor as she taught teachers how
to make reading more understandable by their students). Perhaps my
concerns will be addressed, and I am reading something into the outline
more than is there.
My intention of including a section on database concepts is to help those who have
very little knowledge about databases. Hence, the coverage will only be the bare
essentials so that they can relate to fields, field types, database types etc. when
creating a database& table in Base. It also helps to visualise where/who they
are in this process. I can imagine that for those who just want to create a
database for their musics collection would probably use the Wizards, as there are
predefined fields to select. Hopefully those basic concepts will help them to
understand why those fields exist.
Perhaps I don't understand what you mean by the bare essentials.
Are the technical terms you mentioned needed to use the wizards in Base?
Are they needed to create tables, queries, or forms using design view
(table design, query design, from design respectively)? Are they needed
to modify a query using SQL? Are they needed to use SQL as described in
the Base Tutorial which has been discussed in on our mailing list?
Don't get me wrong, knowing the technical terms you listed can be
quite beneficial. But this does not mean they are the bare essential. A
person can learn to do all of the things mentioned above with out having
a good working knowledge of these terms. For them there are other bare
essentials that allow them to do these things.
It seems to me that you have an excellent educational background
in databases which includes these technical terms. And from this
prospective these are most likely the bare essentials needed for
creating a database using Base.
My background in databases is mostly from practical
experimentation beginning with creating flat databases using OOo 1.1.x
versions. When OOo 2.0, I began experimenting with Base learning what I
could do with it. I have downloaded and studied several articles on
relational databases as well as the HSQLDB User Guide. I have discovered
many features simply by wondering if I could do particular tasks based
upon what I have read and tried to achieve them using the knowledge I
had gained by studying.
My educational background includes a BS degree in mathematics and
MS degree in Education with emphasis in mathematics. Many of my math
courses were in advanced areas of mathematics. It is the mathematical
principles I learned in all the courses I took which have been my
essentials for creating databases using Base as well as studying what
others write about databases.
How many people using Base are similar to me? Probably not very
many. How many can learn how to use Base by being given the logical
steps required to do so and why they should use these steps? Can this be
done without even mentioning the technical terms? I suppose it boils
down to this question: how much does a person have to know about a
database to use one? We seem to have different views as to how to answer it.
Another concern is how to keep the size of chapter 1 from becoming
too large. And if the size is kept within reason, will the amount of
technical terms then create the problems I mentioned above? I like the
outline as it is for the most part. I also think the Base Guide chapter
outlines should be modified in accordance with this outline.
Dan
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