It was at this time that Ed Oates[9] introduced Miner and Ellison to a paper by E. F. Codd on the relational model for database management.

IBM was slow to see the commercial value of Codd's relational database management system (RDBMS), allowing Miner and Ellison to beat them to the market.

[11] As head of engineering, Miner's management style was in stark contrast to Larry Ellison, who cultivated Oracle's hard-driving sales culture.

[12] Miner was diagnosed in 1993 with pleural mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer typically caused by exposure to asbestos.

Miner family's charitable foundation has donated to various San Francisco arts and education institutions.