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Title: An Introduction to Database Systems by C.J. Date ISBN: 0-201-38590-2 Publisher: Pearson Addison Wesley Pub. Date: 12 August, 1999 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $95.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.49 (51 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: "The Way Things Ought to Be" for Database Systems
Comment: Date's treatment of database systems is heavily weighted toward the foundational principles of the relational model. If that is not what you are looking for, this text is not for you. If you want to learn SQL, get a good SQL book. If you want to play with MS-Access, by all means, do so. If you have a five-minute attention span, this book isn't for you. If, however, you wish to understand the foundational principles of database systems and what makes for a "good" DBMS, this is the text for you. If you can't understand the theory in this book, you have no real business calling yourself a database professional.
I had never really looked at database theory before picking up this text, and I had avoided using DBMSs (as being one of the more boring aspects of computer science.) Spending six weeks wading through this book changed my mind on that. Date shows the beauty of the relational model clearly and precisely (I will grant that the emphasis is on precision rather than simplicity.)
Date shows the flaws of SQL as well as its power. In this new 7th edition, more than in the earlier edition, he proclaims the way database sytems should be structured, rather than accepting the SQL status quo. He also points out clearly how the so-called object model really isn't a data model at all, and could lead us back to the "bad old days" of ad-hoc DBMSs with no theoretical underpinnings (and hence no verifiability.)
Rating: 4
Summary: A relvar by any other name.
Comment: This book introduces the fundamentals of database systems by emphasizing the relational data model, and that a database is really "a collection of true .. propositions". Although his use of Tutorial-D (rather than SQL) may seem odd, Date emphasizes thinking about data rather than an implementation. This book provides great fundamental thinking about relational variables (relvars), domains, relational algebra, and data normalization.
The further topic of missing information contrasts to Codd's four-valued logic, and even if your particular database system supports different Nulls the chapter helps when thinking about your own data. Whether or not you agree with his thinking about object-oriented databases, his "Two great blunders" are a challenge to any software vendor. His chapter on decision support does not provide much of an introduction to such broad topics as warehousing, OLAP, and data mining, but there are other sources. This is not an easy read, but working through it will pay off when coupled with product training.
Rating: 5
Summary: One of the best books out there
Comment: If you are into DB theory, and you want to gain a strong understanding of it, this is one of the best avenues to get you there. There's not one single thing about this book that isn't totally great. Everything, everything about it is first rate.
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Title: The Database Relational Model: A Retrospective Review and Analysis: A Historical Account and Assessment of E. F. Codd's Contribution to the Field of Database Technology by C. J. Date ISBN: 0201612941 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: May, 2000 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: Practical Issues in Database Management: A Reference for the Thinking Practitioner by Fabian Pascal ISBN: 0201485559 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 23 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: Handbook of Relational Database Design by Candace C. Fleming, Barbara von Halle ISBN: 0201114348 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 01 January, 1989 List Price(USD): $59.99 |
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Title: Managing and Using Information Systems : A Strategic Approach by Keri E. Pearlson, Carol S. Saunders ISBN: 0471346446 Publisher: Wiley Text Books Pub. Date: 23 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $42.95 |
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Title: Management for Quality in High Technology Enterprises by Yefim Fasser, Donald Brettner ISBN: 0471209589 Publisher: Wiley-Interscience Pub. Date: 15 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $84.95 |
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