First Published 24 Dec 2022

This short article came from a question by one of my regular website readers. I'll call him 'Brian' for the purpose of this article

Brian had been reading some of my speed comparison tests including:
      Optimise Queries
      WHERE OR vs WHERE IN

After doing so, he wondered why the query optimisation technology used by Access (and mentioned in the articles) is called Rushmore?

As many of you will know, queries that have been optimised so they can make use of Rushmore will run faster as a result.

I knew that the technology originally came from the Fox Pro database that Microsoft purchased in the early 1990s.
It was then absorbed into Access and some years later Microsoft discontinued Fox Pro itself.

I had always assumed (without evidence) that the name came from the Mount Rushmore memorial in the United States

RushmoreMemorial

However, Brian had a different idea and asked whether the name meant that such queries would 'rush . . more' to give results quicker!

ROFL!!     :~>)

After I'd finished laughing, I decided to check its origins.

This article, Rushmore Technology - The Heart of The Fox confirmed my original opinion!

Apparently, the Fox Software design team came up with the code-name Rushmore after spending an evening watching the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie "North by Northwest".

North by Northwest, released in 1959, is a classic, comic thriller starring Cary Grant and is usually regarded as one of Alfred Hitchcock finest films.

The film's climax occurs on the Presidential faces that are carved on Mount Rushmore.

'Interesting' pub quiz facts:
1.   The original title was to be "The Man In Lincoln's Nose"
      That was replaced by a misquoted reference to a line from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" in which Hamlet says, "I am but mad north-north-west."
      Well, I never knew that before today . . .

2.   Cary Grant was originally called Archie Leach and attended the same school in Bristol, England as my children (but many decades apart!).
      Archie was later expelled from school as a result of a prank where he was found hiding in the girls' cloakroom!
      See Famous Old Pupils (Grant, Dirac and Silverthorne)


Sorry Brian, - you were wrong .. . BUT I'll only ever be able to think of Rushmore using your idea from now on!


Happy Xmas, everyone!



Colin Riddington           Mendip Data Systems                 24 Dec 2022



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