Computer History Museum

Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) workshop : IBM

A number of ex-IBM employees covered a wide range of topics about how IBM Research developed SQL and System R and the role that IBM's Research Division played in getting IBM to finally announce and deliver relational database products: SQL/DS and DB2. There is a lengthy discussion of Query by Example (QBE) by its creator and a discussion of why it didn't get accepted as a product by any of the IBM operating divisions in spite of its strong support of the relational model developed by Ted Codd. The dominance of IMS in IBM's thinking and its impact on the lack of resources assigned to relational products, particularly the concern for possible erosion of IBM's enterprise MVS position, was explored. The focus in IBM Research of providing software which could be turned into products was examined and its effect in lessening the true research type of projects in the Research Division. Various methods for integrating research and development activities in IBM were also discussed. The discussion also highlights the problem of inter-organizational communications in an organization as large (and as balkanized) as IBM.

Item Details

Date
2007-06-12 (Made)
Type
Document
Catalogue number
102702563
Organization
Computer History Museum
People
Peter G. Capek (Participant)
Thomas (Tim) Bergin (Editor)
Donald Chamberlin (Participant)
Michael W. Blasgen (Participant)
Moshe Zloof (Participant)
Jim Strickland (Participant)
Bruce Lindsay (Participant)
Don Haderle (Participant)
Sharon Codd (Participant)
Jan Phillips (Participant)
Marilyn Bohl (Participant)
Thomas Haigh (Historian)
Burt Grad (Moderator)
Chris J. Date (Participant)
Category
Transcript
Credit line
Software Industry Special Interest Group
Extent
32 p.
Place of publication
USA/CA/Mountain View
Language
English
Acquisition number
X4069.2007
Subject
IBM, Oracle, Sybase, SHARE, Mark IV, Ashton-Tate, System R, SQL/DS, DB2, IMS, RAMIS, NOMAD, FOCUS, ADABAS, DOS, dBase, IBM Research, Performance, Phase Zero, Tandem Computer, UNIX, Informix, Query By Example (QBE), GUIDE, Microsoft, IDS, Boeing
Archive collection
Oral history collection
Archive hierarchy
CHM Oral History Collection