Relational databases aren't supposed to be "simple" minded;

rbalmf (8/1/2010)

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Sure, we've invested so much money and 10 hard years learning this stuff that we just have to use it right?

You're entitled to your opinion of course, strange COBOL analogy notwithstanding, but if you look at the rise of cloud environments more widely you will see that there is a shift happening towards simpler storage models (BigTables, Azure Tables etc.) because they scale more easily and don't require DB Ninjutsus to get the best out of them.

I'm sure there will still be a place for you Old-Skool data guys but that place will be within the cloud, maintaining the platform, not developing software.

And I for one will be glad. :)

Phil Factor (8/2/2010)

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The overwhelming cost of a database application usually turns out to be the cost of training, the cost of integrating the data with the rest of the enterprise, and the cost of maintaining the system.

The SQL Server Modeling technologies, presently in CTP, aim to provide significant productivity gains across the lifecycle of .NET applications by enabling developers, architects, and IT professionals to work together more effectively
The complete set of documentation for the SQL Server Modeling CTP including overviews, tutorials, and technical references for each component technology.

If you’re [a Microsoft] Access user, it will be more familiar to you, let me put it that way.
So, if you kind of think of Access, [Microsoft] Excel, ...” that is an approximation of the tool,
you have to be a little bit careful with that comparison because it could be misleading. I’m trying to give you sort of a general feeling of the center; it is not [Access and Excel], but those are the best approximations I have if you haven’t experienced the tool.
The tool enables users to capture domain knowledge in domain-specific views, And the tool also will be useful for more advanced diagramming, such as enabling the development of BPMN (business process modeling notification) workflows and UML (Unified Modeling Language) services.