The ComputerWorld article gives examples of the many types of information contained in tables on the Web and points out that pro-gramming languages have developed features specifically for working with information in tables. The hard part of the “data stored in tables” truth presented in the article appears to be that tables are not new, but rather are years-old constructs that have organized the information of the internet in clearly defined structures. The article also points out that NoSQL isnew, but the hard truth there is that NoSQL is also about data in tables.
To me, the fact that most of the Web is data stored in tables is fantastic. The down-side to that truth is that only mostof the Web is in tables. And as for the hard truth that even a newer technology like NoSQL works with data in tables, I see only benefit in adding new capabilities for the structures that already contain most of the information of the Web.
Like many people, I’ve counted on tables—on the Web and in intranet applica-tions—for Web transactions and interactions as well as for storage and access to various types of information for years. For internal projects, I’ve used relational database tables in situations where I first did not understand how using tables would help, but in each case the truth was that using the tables was convenient and definitely added value to both the process and the result.
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