Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 005 EAN: 9780596100124 Format: Illustrated ISBN: 0596100124 Label: O'Reilly Media, Inc. Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc. Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 230 Publication Date: May 05, 2005 Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc. Sales Rank: 221774 Studio: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Product DescriptionThis book sheds light on the principles behind the relational model, which is fundamental to all database-backed applications--and, consequently, most of the work that goes on in the computing world today. 'Database in Depth: The Relational Model for Practitioners' goes beyond the hype and gets to the heart of how relational databases actually work.
Ideal for experienced database developers and designers, this concise guide gives you a clear view of the technology--a view that's not influenced by any vendor or product. Featuring an extensive set of exercises, it will help you:
understand why and how the relational model is still directly relevant to modern database technology (and will remain so for the foreseeable future)
see why and how the SQL standard is seriously deficient
use the best current theoretical knowledge in the design of their databases and database applications
make informed decisions in their daily database professional activities
'Database in Depth' will appeal not only to database developers and designers, but also to a diverse field of professionals and academics, including database administrators (DBAs), information modelers, database consultants, and more. Virtually everyone who deals with relational databases should have at least a passing understanding of the fundamentals of working with relational models.
Author C.J. Date has been involved with the relational model from its earliest days. An exceptionally clear-thinking writer, Date lays out principle and theory in a manner that is easily understood. Few others can speak as authoritatively the topic of relational databases as Date can.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Theory without practice
Despite the sometimes critical earlier reviews I was hoping for an informative read. I was disappointed. There is theory in this book, no doubt, but where is the practice? Date goes on and on about the many failings of SQL, or to say it more in style, he pontificates on the sins of SQL against the one true relational model as, incidentally, incarnated in his own Tutorial D.
The writing is tedious as Date constantly refers to what he will say, what he has said, and what he won't say. ... Read More
Rating: - Grumpy theory
Contains only theory, with little real-word usefulness, despite what the author claims. Comes across as if it's written by a grumpy old man, constantly complaining about how SQL gets everything wrong.
Rating: - A clear and concise introduction to the theory behind relational databases
This book is very well written. In spite of the fact that I had very little (near to none) knowledge of database systems when I bought this book, I had no trouble understanding it. It is clear, concise, and covers many important topics in relational database theory. The author uses plain English, so you don't need a degree in math in order to understand the book.
Rating: - Not my cup of tea
Author concentrates too much on minute details which are in many ways irrelevant/implicit to many readers I feel. At times after reading a whole lot of pages, I feel like I have learnt very few newer things...same things are repeated often. Too much focus on the relational
jargon, rather the author says to strictly follow the terminology. Like the way, natural languages have many dialects, in the same fashion many readers will learn in different ways though conceptually they are on the same ... Read More
Rating: - An excellent introduction to the relational model by one of the best thinkers in the field.
When I was early in my Computer Science degree I took a course in which we discussed database fundamentals. In that class we learned about things like tuples, relations, predicates, predicate logic and deductive proofs. All of these were involved with the relational model, but it wasn't until later when I discovered the writings of Fabian Pascal and C. J. Date that I began to really understand how the above concepts tied into the database systems I was using, such as Oracle, MySQL, and Postgresql. ... Read More
- Theory without practice
- A clear and concise introduction to the theory behind relational databases
- Not my cup of tea
