Technical Talks

ABOUT THE TALK

• Databases

Doesn't it feel like there is always a new crop of database management systems pushing the idea that the relational model is outdated and SQL is dying? Vector database proponents have recently taken up this mantle, fueled by AI/ML technologies. Before that, NoSQL users claimed RM/SQL was insufficient for "webscale" applications. And in the 1990s, object-oriented database vendors wanted developers to switch to their systems. Database history doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. In this talk, Professor Andy Pavlo presents the 60-year history of data modeling research and demonstrate why RM/SQL is the preferred default choice for database applications of any size. All efforts to completely replace the data model or query language have failed. Instead, SQL absorbed the best ideas from these alternative approaches and remains relevant for modern applications.