Universal relation assumption explained

The universal relation assumption in relational databases states that one can place all data attributes into a (possibly very wide) table, which may then be decomposed into smaller tables as needed.^[1]

However, the assumption that a single large table can capture real database designs is often plagued with a number of difficulties.^[2] The "nested universal relation" model has attempted to address some of the problems and offer improvements.^[3]

External links

• Who won the Universal Relation wars? by Alberto Mendelzon

Notes and References

1. [Igor Hawryszkiewycz|I. T. Hawryszkiewycz]
2. Carlo Zaniolo, Advances in database technology--EDBT 2000, 2000., page 276
3. Mark Levene, The nested universal relation database model, 2000., pages 1–5.