Beginning Database Design Solutions

by Rod Stephens

Beginning Database Design Solutions introduces IT professionals---both DBAs and database developers--to database design. It explains what databases are, their goals, and why proper design is necessary to achieve those goals. It tells how to decide what should be in a database to meet the application's requirements. It tells how to structure the database so it gives good performance while minimizing the chance for error. Each chapter begins with a list of topics covered and ends with a summary providing a descriptive and bulleted list of the key points described in the chapter. Each chapter them includes a list of review questions and a series of exercises to help beginners and students solidify the concepts presented in the chapter. About The Author: Rod Stephens is a professional software developer who has built a wide variety of software and database applications in his 20-year career. He is the author of 18 books and more than 250 articles, and is a regular contributor to DevX.com (www.devx.com). Rod's clear, compelling writing makes it easy for less experienced readers to master new material. His current position as an adjunct instructor for ITT Technical institute has given him additional insight into the kinds of discussion, examples, and exercises that students find most helpful. Table Of Contents: I. Introduction to Databases and Database Design II. Database and Design Process Techniques III. A Detailed Case Study IV. Advanced Topics. Appendix A. Exercise Solutions Appendix B. Sample Database Designs Appendix C. Glossary Index Special Features: DBAs and database developers who need to learn how to design and build a new database.

Genres: Programming, Technology, Computer Science

548 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

Reviews

[Terri Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Database Concepts course

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning Database Design Solutions is a great beginner-friendly book about database design. It is a wonderful starting point for novices, more so than further dept for advanced users, but it will still approach topics that you may have not seen or thought about before, while also refreshing other ideas. The book presents a decently thorough experience in the database field and has a variety of examples and exercise portions. While I was looking for something more advanced, it still gave some good pointers, especially in its first part. The second portion is more focused on specific cases and seems unnecessary for those that have reasonable experience with databases.

[Pond · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a pretty comprehensive book - teaching you not what a database is and how to use it, and also how to talk to users and model their needs in a database. Lots of exercises and examples.

My 2 stars is because I don't find the book very insightful relative to its size. So I skimmed very aggressively. It's great that there's a whole chapter (or multiple?) about how to interview a user and exactly what design document you should produce, but from that detailed account I didn't get much insights that I'd adopt in my own work - there's a lot of instructions, but the reasoning behind them isn't all that interesting.

[Prince Venus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book but not for those who don't want to learn the nitty gritty detail .I read huge volumes of books and sometimes I find it annoying when they go in to great detail straight away with no overview

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part I: Introduction to Databases and Database Design
1. Goals of Effective Database Design
2. Database Types
3. Relational Database Fundamentals

Part II: Database Design Process and Techniques
4. Understanding User Needs
5. Translating User Needs Into Data Models
6. Extracting Business Rules
7. Normalizing Data
8. Designing Databases to Support Software Applications
9. Common Design Patterns
10. Common Design Pitfalls

Part III: A Detailed Case Study [A Pet Store example outlining what you learn in Parts I and II]
11. User Needs and Requirements
12. Building a Data Model
13. Extracting Business Rules
14. Normalization and Refinement

Part IV: Implementing Databases (with Examples in Access and MySQL)
15. Microsoft Access
16. MySQL

Part V: Advanced Topics
17. Introduction to SQL
18. Building Databases with SQL Scripts
19. Database Maintenance
20. Database Security