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Title: Practical Issues in Database Management: A Reference for the Thinking Practitioner by Fabian Pascal ISBN: 0-201-48555-9 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional Pub. Date: 23 May, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.38 (13 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Clear thinking but SQL whining
Comment: This book offers clear but challenging thinking about some important issues in relational database design, rules of integrity, and normalization. Pascal emphasizes principles of relational design based on predicate logic and set mathematics in a nice blend of theory and practical hints. He argues that many of the problems in using databases are a result of poor relational design. For example, in discussing duplicates he advocates prohibiting duplicates and the use of keys. Throughout he describes the problems if the data is not normalization.
My only complaint is that he regularly complains about the design of the SQL standard. For example "Due to numerous flaws in the design and implementation of SQL, the performance of SQL DBMS ... leads users to denormalize for performance". As a user I have say over my design, but little sway over the SQL standard or my particular software package. With regard to denormalizing, I think there is also a tendency to use flat tables in web page pages, so perhaps Pascal should go over developing tools to program relational tables easier with ASP pages. I would have also appreciated his thoughts on dimensional modeling used in data warehouses.
Rating: 5
Summary: Thought provoking discussions on vital database concepts
Comment: Contains discussions on widely misunderstood, but vitally important, database issues. Considers how things should be according to relational theory, what goes wrong in practice due to failing to understand these fundamental concepts, and provides practical recommendations/workarounds where possible. A bridge between theory and practice. A concise and straightforward read, although to gain maximum benefit you should already have a reasonable understanding of relational databases.
Some of the main points are as follows. Relational databases can support data types of arbitrary complexity ("objects") - but we need DBMS vendors to implement the means to provide such support. Use declarative integrity constraints when possible. Avoid tables that allow duplicate rows - ensure all tables have a primary key (may require a surrogate key). Avoid redundant data. Ensure your database is normalized - avoids numerous problems. Resist the temptation to denormalize. Recognise entity supertypes/subtypes and how to implement as tables. Minimize use of nulls whenever possible. Also discusses climbing trees and quota queries. Separate chapters discuss all these points in detail.
A constant theme throughout the book is how poorly SQL and commercial DBMSs support relational concepts, and the numerous problems this causes. Personally, I believe there is little that most application/database developers can do about this, other than suffer what gets "inflicted" upon us. Pascal urges us to pressurise DBMS vendors to provide better relational support.
This book is firmly of the view that "relational is right". If you agree, you will probably like this book. Most of the references are to C.J Date's writings. However, I suspect some people won't like this book - those who believe "relational is wrong" (e.g. some OODBMS proponents); and those who prefer a "cookbook approach" for their specific DBMS and don't really care about what the "right way" is. I suspect some people will think that Pascal should "live in the real world" rather than worrying about theory, yet this book argues that it is because of the failure to understand fundamental database concepts that leads to "real world" databases having the problems that they do.
Helps database professionals educate themselves in fundamental database concepts, and illustrates the correct way of doing things in relational databases. Well worth reading.
Rating: 2
Summary: Understanding Relational Databases, once again
Comment: Giving this book only 2 starts only because of its title. It is not what it claims to be.
This book title should be "Understanding Relational Databases, once again" (borrowed from 1st book by Fabian).
It is not for experienced database professionals by any means.
In case you have never heard of normalization or relational algebra this book will help you to avoid many mistakes with database design.
The relational principles are practical. No argument there. But in real world there are other issues like available RDBMS features, performance, deadlines. It is not a problem that this book does not address them as its scope is different. The problem that it mentions these issues as something having less importance comparing to relational theory guidelines. Following this approach can ruin your design as surely as violating normalization principles.
In case you have already had an understanding of relational theory this book is waste of money.
Samples are oversimplified. Try to implement supertype-subtype sample with the inheritance level about 5 and see how your design will perform. Many very useful designs are simply not mentioned. For example only "explosion" design is considered for tree implementation.
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Title: An Introduction to Database Systems, Eighth Edition by C. J. Date, C.J. Date ISBN: 0321197844 Publisher: Addison Wesley Publishing Company Pub. Date: 22 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $101.00 |
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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 Longman Pub. Date: 01 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: Foundation for Future Database Systems: The Third Manifesto (2nd Edition) by C. J. Date, Hugh Darwen ISBN: 0201709287 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional Pub. Date: 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 Professional Pub. Date: 01 August, 1988 List Price(USD): $59.99 |
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Title: An Introduction to Database Systems by C. J. Date ISBN: 0201385902 Publisher: Addison Wesley Longman Pub. Date: 01 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $95.00 |
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