SQL

At a first glance, learning SQL seemed very complex. The idea of creating different tables that are related to each other seemed tedious at first but later made more sense when trying to extract certain information from the tables. This idea became more obvious when experimenting with the queries. It has become clearer why learning about Entity Relationship Diagrams is critical before learning about SQL. The hardest part about SQL is to understand the concepts just mentioned. Thereafter, it is a matter of knowing where to find and/or trying to memorize the commands on how to create, open and insert information. During the assignment, we had the opportunity to create tables in MySQL with the command line, Webmin and phpMyAdmin. Webmin and phpMyAdmin are graphical interfaces and therefore easier to navigate and create tables. Overall, learning SQL is on the same level if difficulty with other topics explored; once one understands the idea and concept of the topic, the rest is still challenging yet less complex.

Data Modeling and ERD

Learning about data modeling and how to create an Entity Relationship Diagram was very appealing to me. As one of the readings mentioned, my initial thought is to use an excel spreadsheet but in the examples and readings I see the benefits of using a relational database management system (RDBMS) such as Microsoft Access when wanting to extract complicated information from a collection of data. However, in order to understand RDBMS, one must understand how ERD’s work. I found the blog regarding ERD’s on the Rapid Application Development website to be helpful in explaining the notations (crow’s feet, dash and 0) and the relationships between the entities. My understanding is that many-to-many relationship are not possible in databases and the solution is to do a link/bridge. The linking concept is still unclear but I’m sure I will grasp this concept after I see more examples. The Three Normal Forms tutorial was also helpful as it provided an example with step-by-step instructions on the process. However, more examples with explanations on the process would definitely be helpful.

Technology Plan

The Standish Group Report was a helpful article. The comparison made between bridge building and software development provided a clear understanding and greater appreciation for software development. Per the article, there is less flexibility with bridge building versus software development and for the most part one would assume flexibility is purely advantageous but per the article, flexibility could be harmful. The articles continues by stating that if a bridge fails a report is prepared outlining why it failed; however this is not the case with software development. The article also stressed on the low success rate for software projects. This fact alone indicates the importance of proper research and detailed preparation of a software project. It was disappointing to read in the article that many invest in a project that would eventually be cancelled. On the other hand, it was also enlightening to hear the success stories. The What Went Wrong article was useful in identifying what elements must be considered to avoid to failure such as proper project planning, strong business case, support from top management and setting realistic goals. I was also glad I had the opportunity to read more about LSTA in the New Funding and From Construction to Technology articles. The Gates Foundation has been greatly significant in libraries and technology; yet the New Funding article poses an interesting question “Who will be the next Gates?” when it is time for upgrading. The Technoplans vs. Technolust article suggest that a technology plan is a living document. With the constant change in technology, the plan must be able to accept changes if necessary and therefore must be a living document. The readings for this lecture made me realize that we always need to be cautious. Reading about the importance of a technology plan will prepare me for when I am confronted with technology planning activities.

XML

My first step in learning XML was through the XML training at w3schools.com. I had been exposed to XML prior but I never had to write an XML document. I went through the XML Basic tutorials on the mentioned website. I also watched the “Just Enough XML to Survive” video on YouTube but the image was not clear and the voice was a bit hard to follow. The majority of the information in the video was information I had already reviewed in the w3schools.com tutorial so I did not find the video very helpful. The link to the example that was provided in the assignments was also very useful in completing the XML document. I also found the XML Validator on the w3schools.com website to be a valuable tool to verify that the XML document I had created was well-formed.