Database Systems : A Practical Approach to Design, Implementation and Management by Connolly

This best-selling book introduces the theory behind database system in a  comprehensive manner, providing database design methodology that can be used by both technical and non-technical readers. The methodology for relational Database Management Systems is presented in simple, step-by-step instructions in conjunction with a realistic worked example using three explicit phases—conceptual, logical, and physical database design.

The main sections included within this book are :

1. Background: Introduction to Databases; Database Environment; Database Architectures and the Web.
2. The Relational Model and Languages: The Relational model; Relational Algebra and Relational Calculus; SQL: Data Manipulation; SQL: Data Definition; Query-By-Example (QBE).
3. Database Analysis and Design: Database System Lifecycle; Database Analysis and the DreamHome Case Study; Entity–Relationship Modeling; Enhanced Entity–Relationship Modeling; Normalization; Advanced Normalization.
4. Methodology: Methodology—Conceptual Database Design; Methodology—Logical Database Design for Relational Model; Methodology—Physical Database Design for Relational Databases; Methodology—Monitoring and Tuning the Operational System.
5. Selected Database Issues: Security and Administration; Professional, Legal, and Ethical Issues; Transaction Management; Query Processing.
6. Distributed DBMSs and Replication: Distributed DBMSs—Concepts and Design; Distributed DBMSs—Advanced Concepts; Replication and Mobile Databases.
7. Object DBMSs: Object-Oriented DBMSs—Concepts and Design; Object-Oriented DBMSs—Standards and Languages; Object-Relational DBMSs.
8. Web and DBMSs: Web Technology and DBMSs; Semistructured Data and XML.
9. Business Intelligence Technologies: Data Warehousing Concepts; Data Warehousing Design; OLAP; Data Mining.
10. Appendices: Users’ Requirements Specification for DreamHome Case Study; Other Case Studies; Alternative Data Modeling Notations; Summary of the Database Design Methodology for Relational Databases; Introduction to Pyrrho—A Liteweight RDBMS.
11. Web Appendices: File Organization and Storage Structures; When Is a DBMS Relational?; Commercial DBMSs: Access and Oracle; Programmatic SQL; Estimating Disk Space Requirements; Introduction to Object-Orientation; Example Web Scripts.

About the Author

Thomas M. Connolly is the head of the Computing and Information Systems division at the University of Paisley.

Carolyn E. Begg is a lecturer at the University of Paisley, with research interests in Information Systems, Database Management Systems, and Decision Support Systems within medicine.

ISBN-13: 978-0321523068

Some Customers Reviews:

This book was a required textbook for a graduate database class I was taking. Having spent the last 20 years in industry working with various database systems, this class was mostly review, and the textbook was needed to do assignments.

I find the book to be a poor reference, and not worth owning. One of the things the instructor liked about the book was the extensive case study type problems. This was obviously due to the disconnect between the fantasy world of academia and the reality of industry. I found the case study problems to be poorly contrived and artificial, and at times stupid and needlessly ambiguous. Confusing matters further at times was the difference between the authors use of British terms, phrases, and concepts in the problem descriptions with no explanation or disambiguation. Overall organization of the book is also odd, which left our instructor skipping backward and forward through chapters out of order and at times presenting two chapters simultaneously.

The book is huge and most of it is not worth reading, which makes it even more of a pain to have to lug it around for the few bits that you do need for class. It seems to be a favorite of professors, which is probably why it is in its 5th edition, but that doesn’t mean it is any good.

Another Customer :

I am amused by some of the reviews that critique this books use of the english language…. really???

This is a no-nonsense, heavy-duty book that takes you from the very basics all the way to the sky. I found this book to be indeed the BEST ONE in the world: there are many pretentious books out there that scream “pick me” by their fancy covers, high-production pop-up designs, but this book does none of those.

This book, instead, focuses on the main concepts and presents a massive achievement in databases. The book only gives one example per topic (which is basically the minimum, but to their credit they could not provide more because the book is as heavy as bricks already).

Just be warned: Data Warehousing and business intelligence are of ancillary nature to this book. Only one chapter is dedicated to both topics. This is the only book i know that actually gives you all of the math lessons you need. Others either ignore it or tell you to read another book.

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