The Rise of Oracle, SQL and the Relational Database

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[jaystannard]

A SQL query walks into a bar, he sees two tables and joins them

[ineptengineer]

As a daily user of sql databases, i really enjoy hearing the history

[nezbrun]

Another great SQL history video: I have a 35 year career in SQL, and again, I was unaware of much of this history detail. And you managed to discuss Codd without going into his Rules, for which you are to be congratulated!

I worked briefly at the Microsoft campus shortly after SQL Server 2000 was released, as as a customer, we were struggling to get an enterprise system ported from the earlier Sybase-based database engine code that still resided in SQL Server 6.5 into 2000, and performance was proving a big problem: the optimiser had been significantly re-written since Microsoft had forked the database engine following their split from Sybase.

While I was there, I was told a story of what happened when Microsoft and Sybase parted ways. There was an agreement that upon termination of their cooperation agreement, all source code would be shared between them at that point. As you can imagine, Microsoft had done a lot of development separately. So when Microsoft sent Sybase all their final source code, , they stripped out all of the white space and mangled all the identifier names. I've never looked upon Microsoft in the same way since.

[DrewNorthup]

"The company now known as Oracle has a chaotic history."
Understatement, subtle like a brick.

[pierosangiorgio]

My father was COO of ASK/Ingress in the very early 90's. while I joined Oracle in 1993... exciting years.

[grizwoldphantasia]

Ellison, Gates -- you've outdone yourself in the pictures you chose for them. Nice job!

[thomasgilson]

I remember an interview with Ted Codd in an 80's computer magazine where he made the interviewer sign an agreement that included the stipulation to refrain from calling him a "guru". Now I can't think of Codd or even SQL without that word "guru" popping into my head. Streisand effect.

[TheMarkRich]

"Porting like drunk rabbits". A phrase I must use more often.

[theronwolf]

The last 25 years of my work life before retirement were spent in SQL. Really liked working with it, especially the ability for ad hoc queries when unexpected information is needed. Periodically management would need some very specific information, and SQL was a great tool for that task.

[melanieblizard]

I have to say the amount of effort you put into the script and production is excellent. Having worked at Logica and used databases i really enjoyed this. These subjects are fascinating because although they are considered obscure they are literally world changing. Thank you.

[carmencrincoli]

RIP Jim Gray. I had the pleasure of hearing him speak multiple times in my career at Microsoft before he was lost at sea. His disappearance sent shockwaves through the company. He was such a bright light in a company full of brilliant people.

[fredinit]

16:00 Date's book is what my university used for the undergrad database class in the late 80's early 90's. I still have my copy. We used DB/2 on DOS-based PCs, and Date's book. This combination started to show the idiosyncratic differences between the different SQL dialects. Over her career, my wife has used Sybase, Ingress, SQL Server, Oracle, Informix, and DB/2.

[alexhubble]

A teaser finish (a bloody teaser!) about the history of databases.... and I am hooked.

[AUATUWVSH]

wrangling and cleaning a 60GB database, the "VACUUM;" command made me laugh

[mackal]

Can we do a history of the current major open source SQL software? (mysql, mariadb, postgresql, etc)

[caleballen]

Incredibly well done history. I am developing a query system (not relational, but somewhat related) and I find this extremely informative and useful. Thank you!

[frankchan]

Sybase used be in Emeryville before they moved to Dublin.
I used to work at Oracle & Ed Oates office above my office & unfortunately I get his mail & he will get mine so I knew pretty well. He really didn’t need to work but wanted to do something.

[MrHavk]

This was so informative Asianometry. Fills in a lot of context behind things I've wondered about for a while. Thanks!

[pbernstein]

Loved the slide projector joke. I laughed heartily 👍

[galen__]

Really enjoying this multi-part look into the history of SQL and databases in general 👍