The SQL database offers a domain-independent NULL value. This is a terrible thing, and should be treated with a depth of respect and fear.

Before using NULL values in a database, read things like "Null Values in Fuzzy Datasets" and "Null Values Revisited in Prospect of Data Integration".

See this …

Got a nice email about architecture -- but the wrong kind.

It was about physical structures, not software.

It is a "bucket-list" of buildings one simply must see. 100 Amazing Buildings Every Architecture Buff Should See. A cool list to have handy.

I know bupkes about buildings. I've lived in them …

First, let me point out that the Data Cartel ("DBA" means Don't Bother Asking) won't release all the information I requested, so some of this is a guess.

We'll look at a number of dumb-as-a-post SQL techniques. This is proof -- if any were needed -- that bad SQL is worse than …

One issue in creating a database design is working around the limitations inherent in the SQL data model. I'm going to call it the SQL model because you can make the case that the entity-relationship (ER) model is an abstraction and could have a far more expressive implementation. I'm going …

When you start fresh (as I sometimes do), you create a Django project into which you create your first application. You use django-admin.py to spin up a project directory, and from in side there, use manage.py to create an application boilerplate.

The Django folks are very clear on …