EAV and Introduction

Content:  Going into this lecture, I had never heard of EAV, so I have no experience with them.  I was happy that Valentin kept the level of discussion low enough where I could follow along.  Using EAV databases makes sense, especially when there are gaps in the data.  I am not a programmer so I don't understand what it takes to add another column, but I understand that three columns takes up less space than more than three columns :).  I can also see how adding columns can get  out of control, when you are adding results from patient tests, there are so many tests out there and not every patient will take every test, so there would be a lot of empty cells, so it makes sense to use EAV in these situations. 

The first lecture of this course, was a nice introduction about all of the ways that computers are used and how they can be used in medicine.  It was a nice big picture for me of what BMI is about, and will make it easier for me to explain what BMI is to my family and friends who have no idea what I am getting my degree in. 

Posted by Laura Wojtulewicz