MICRO Relational Database Management System: Difference between revisions

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'''Micro''' was one of the earliest set theoretic/relational [[database management system]]s.<ref>[http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1095495.1095500 "A set theoretic data structure and retrieval language"], William R. Hershey and Carol H. Easthope, Papers from the Session on Data Structures, Spring Joint Computer Conference, May 1972 in ''ACM SIGIR Forum'', Volume 7, Issue 4 (December 1972), pp. 45-55, DOI=10.1145/1095495.1095500, Special Interest Group on Information Retrieval, Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA</ref> Its major underpinnings and algorithms were based on the set-theoretic model of David Childs of the University of Michigan's CONCOMP (Conversational Use of Computers) Project.<ref>[http://www.drdobbs.com/blogblogs/archivesdatabase/2010/03/data_models_acc.html;jsessionid=FVGKQKEPO24D5QE1GHPSKHWATMY32JVN228700616 "Sets, Data Models and Data Independence"], by Ken North a Dr. Dobb's Blogger, March 10, 2010</ref><ref>[http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/4163 ''Description of a set-theoretic data structure''], David L. Childs, 1968, Technical Report 3 of the CONCOMP (Research in Conversational Use of Computers) Project, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA</ref><ref>[http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/4164 ''Feasibility of a Set-Theoretic Data Structure : A General Structure Based on a Reconstituted Definition of Relation''], David L. Childs, 1968, Technical Report 6 of the CONCOMP (Research in Conversational Use of Computers) Project, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA</ref> It was also influenced to a lesser extent by the [[Relational database|relational model]] made famous by [[Edgar F. Codd]], a research scientist at IBM.<ref>[http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/362384.362685 "A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks"], E.F. Codd, Communications of the ACM, volume 13, issue 6 (June 1970), pp. 77–387, doi= 10.1145/362384.362685</ref> It used a natural language interface which allowed non-programmers to use the system.<ref>MICRO: Information Management System (Version 5.0) Reference Manual, M.A. Kahn, D.L. Rumelhart, and B.L. Bronson, October 1977, Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations (ILIR), University of Michigan</ref>

Micro permitted users with little programming experience to define, enter, interrogate, manipulate and update collections of data in a relatively unstructured and unconstrained environment. An interactive system, Micro was powerful in terms of the complexity of requests which could be made by users without prior programming language experience.<ref>"[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2581360/pdf/procascamc00021-0314.pdf Use of a Relational Database to Support Clinical Research: Application in a Diabetes Program]", Diane Lomatch, M.P.H., Terry Truax, M.S., Peter Savage, M.D., Diabetes Center Unit, MDRTC, University of Michigan, 1981</ref> Micro includes basic statistical computations such as mean, variance, frequency, median, etc. If more rigorous statistical analysis were desired, the data from a Micro database could be used with Michigan Interactive Data Analysis System (MIDAS), a statistical analysis package available under the [[Michigan Terminal System]] (MTS).<ref>"[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2245120/pdf/procascamc00019-0674.pdf Converting from Traditional File Structures to Database Management Systems: A Powerful Tool for Nursing Management"], Yvonne Marie Abdoo, Ph.D., R.N, Wayne State University College of Nursing, 1987</ref>