Everyday actions involve asking a myriad of questions in order to make decisions. These decisions range from simple to complex and revolve around many subjects. Typically, most of the questions asked daily are repetitive by nature. However, to make the right decisions on those questions, even when they are repetitive in nature, involves knowing many other parameters that inform the decision. In addition to knowing the problem parameters precisely, it is important to maximize or come up with an optimal answer to those questions. Some questions are simple enough such that a database query will give the correct answer. However, for most questions, a query to a database will be ineffective due to the complex nature of the decision-making process and the parameters surrounding the question (Xu 1).
One of the questions is what to eat for a given meal for breakfast. The only factor that influences my breakfast choice is the day of the week. A simple database query on what to take for breakfast can answer the question. Another question routinely asked is the specific attire to wear for a given day. This involves a lot of steps in the decision-making process. One of these steps is the nature of any event I am attending. The weather also informs the decision on what to wear. Another factor is whether a certain piece of attire is clean and ironed, especially if I don’t have the time to do the ironing. Another question on a typical day is what means of transport to use. Since there are several alternatives, that decision is largely dependent on on-the-minute information such as availability. If a cab is available and I am in a hurry, then I take it. I may opt for public means if I deem that appropriate depending on where I am going. If using public means gets me as close as I deem desirable, I use it.
A database query can, therefore, answer the simple questions such as what to take for breakfast on a given day. However, for most other types of questions such as what to put on or what means of transport to use, a database query is ineffective and cannot make such a decision. This is due to the complex nature of the decision-making process to reach an answer for such a query. This is a main shortcoming of SQL since it cannot handle “if-then” sort of queries (Foster and Godbole 195).
Works Cited
Foster, Elvis C. and Shripad V. Godbole. Database Systems. New York, NY: Apress, 2004. Print.
Xu, Huan. "ROBUST DECISION MAKING AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN MACHINE LEARNING." Diss. McGill University , 2009. Print.
