SQLServerCentral Editorial

The Database Weekly Update for July 14, 2008

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Drug Mining

DrugsIt's not what you might think, but it is interesting. There is an article in Science magazine that talks about some of the data mining work done on drug interactions. Ars Technica picked up a short summary and I found it fascinating reading.

The authors of the paper actually took the reports of drug side-effects and the intended proteins that these medicines were intended to work on and performed a large data mining operation, looking for potential overlaps in the targets of these drugs. What was very interesting is that the authors were not looking for potential problems. Instead they were considering the possibility that we might find new uses for some drugs.

The examples given in the summary is that Viagra was originally aimed at heart issues, but the side-effect proved to be more valuable (to both the company and users), so it was "re-purposed." That's a very interesting way to use data mining, and one that I'm sure many people have never thought of before.

We often argue if Microsoft has been good for the world in the way the company has grown to dominate desktop software. My opinion has been that their biggest contribution, and one that they continue to build in with SQL Server, is their method of taking an idea or a product and building, marketing, and selling it in a cheap way so that the masses can use it. I think that's a great strength, and it's also allowed a tremendous amount of innovation to occur in the world.

SQL Server does this by making data mining and other business intelligence tools available to a wide audience at a price that's affordable. In many cases it means that more and more people might build applications poorly on this platform, but they get to at least build them. They get to add their knowledge to the world, play around with ideas, and enhance the creativity of the world.

Each of us adds some value to the world. Our different outlooks, ideas, and perspectives make for an incredibly rich addition to everyone around us. The Internet has made it possible for every knucklhead with a keyboard to type out their own thoughts and ideas, and many of them might not mean much for the majority, but it has allowed us to greatly benefit and learn from a few diamonds in the rough.

I think that’s a worthwhile trade-off.

Steve Jones

Steve's Pick of the Week

Microsoft SQL Server and MSDE Multiple Vulnerabilities - If you hadn't heard, this week Microsoft released a patch for the first reported and acknowledged SQL Server security vulnerability. I'd urge you to check out this one, no matter what version, and get ready to apply it. It affects SQL Server 7, 2000, and 2005, including Express/MSDE.


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