Beyond SQL: Rediscovering the Power of Relational Thinking
At this year’s World-Wide Data Vault Consortium 2026, we are honored to welcome Chris Date back for another great WWDVC event. Among the myriads of accolades earned for his vast experience and work as an educator and author, Chris is also known for his close collaboration with E. F. Codd, the inventor of the relational model – the very foundation of our industry.
While Codd created the original relational model, Chris was among the first to teach and explain it. Through decades of writing, teaching, and refining relational concepts, he has helped generations of practitioners understand both the power and the limits of relational thinking. Along the way, he identified areas for correction and extension, contributing to the continuing evolution of the theory.
In today’s world, many professionals know SQL but have never been formally grounded in relational theory. Chris’s sessions will highlight why the gap in sound relational theory matters and how returning to relational principles can dramatically improve the way we design, build, and trust our data systems.
For Data Vault 2.1 architects, modelers, and practitioners, this seminar directly connects to your daily work:
- Reinforcing the relational rigor that underpins DV2.1’s logical hub-link-satellite architecture.
- Clarifying how to handle empty sets, unknowns, and missing information without relying on SQL’s null traps.
- Strengthening the use of views and virtualization in Business Vault and marts.
- Validating DV2.1’s auditability, clarity, and scalability through the Closed World Assumption.
Chris’s insights offer a rare chance to reconnect with the foundations of relational thinking and apply them to today’s complex, regulated, and rapidly evolving data environments.
This is not theory for theory’s sake. It is the backbone of practices that ensure clarity, auditability, and trust in modern analytics.
Click HERE to register for the conference or visit our website at WWDVC.com
