Relational model history:\nEvaluate the statement:\n\n"The relational database model was created by E. F. Codd."

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Correct

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Historical awareness helps clarify why SQL and relational concepts look the way they do. Edgar F. (Ted) Codd introduced the relational model, which still underpins most of today’s database technology and education curricula.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Relational model = tables (relations), tuples (rows), attributes (columns), keys, normalization, and set-based operations.
  • E. F. Codd was an IBM researcher who published seminal papers in the 1970s.


Concept / Approach:
Codd’s 1970 paper “A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks” defined relations as mathematical sets and introduced principles that later informed the design of SQL and the architecture of relational DBMSs. While others (e.g., C. J. Date) helped popularize and refine the theory, the creation credit belongs to Codd.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Identify the origin: Codd’s 1970/1971 publications formulated the model. Differentiate contributors: Date popularized and elaborated; Codd created. Thus, the statement is accurate.


Verification / Alternative check:
Standard textbooks and histories consistently attribute the model’s creation to E. F. Codd; awards like the Turing Award (1981) reinforce this recognition.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • Incorrect: contradicts widely accepted history.
  • Attributed to C. J. Date / Jim Gray: both were important figures (author; transaction processing pioneer), but not the model’s creator.


Common Pitfalls:
Confusing advocacy/authorship of textbooks with inventorship; mixing up database theory with transaction processing contributions.


Final Answer:
Correct

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