“A guy walks into a bar...” is a typical form of what has been called the “bar joke.” A version of the joke for web developers is:

“A DBA (database administrator) walks into a NoSQL bar, but turns and leaves because he couldn’t find a table.”

The joke was popularized on Twitter by Erlend Oftedal on September 12, 2011. “3 DBAs walk into a NoSQL bar. A little while later they walk out because they couldn’t find a table” was cited on Twitter on March 22, 2012.


Wikipedia: NoSQL
A NoSQL (originally referring to “non SQL” or “non relational") database provides a mechanism for storage and retrieval of data which is modeled in means other than the tabular relations used in relational databases. Such databases have existed since the late 1960s, but did not obtain the “NoSQL” moniker until a surge of popularity in the early twenty-first century, triggered by the needs of Web 2.0 companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon.com.

Twitter
Erlend Oftedal
‏@webtonull
A DBA walks into a NOSQL bar, but turns and leaves because he couldn’t find a table
3:42 PM - 12 Sep 2011

reddit
So a DBA walks into a NOSQL bar… (self.Jokes)
submitted September 22, 2011 by cowholio4
but immediately leaves because he couldn’t find a table

Twitter
Bret Lowery
‏@bretlowery
“A #DBA walks into a #NoSQL bar, but turns and leaves because he couldn’t find a table.” http://bit.ly/coU7FB
1:28 PM - 3 Nov 2011

Twitter
Johnny Moralez
‏@moralez
“3 DBAs walk into a NoSQL bar. A little while later they walk out because they couldn’t find a table.” - @tlberglund #geekjokes #nosql
10:19 AM - 22 Mar 2012

Twitter
TommieB
‏@t0mm13b
@cclarky85 3 Database Admins walked into a NoSQL bar. A little while later they walked out because they couldn’t find a table. #jokes
5:24 PM - 1 Jul 2012

Twitter
A. VaCo
‏@2itstar
3 Database Admins walked into a NoSQL bar. A little while later they walked out because they couldn’t find a table.
2:47 PM - 24 Jul 2012

Google Books
RestKit for iOS
By Taras Kalapun
Birmingham: Packt Publishing Ltd
2013
Pg. ?:
“Three DBAs walk into a NoSQL bar. A little while later they walk out because they couldn’t find a table.”

Scandit
14 Feb, 2013 Fun and Humor
Top 10 Geek Jokes for Developers
by Scandit
(...)
3 Database Admins walked into a NoSQL bar. A little while later they walked out because they couldn’t find a table.

Facebook
Trajkovski Code & Design
October 2, 2013 ·
A DBA walks into a NOSQL bar, but turns and leaves because he couldn’t find a table

reddit
3 database admins walked into a nosql bar (self.Jokes)
submitted December 17, 2015 by shehzad
A little while later they walked out because they couldn’t find a table