Database Systems: A Pragmatic Approach

Database Systems: A Pragmatic Approach provides a comprehensive, yet concise introduction to database systems. It discusses the database as an essential component of a software system, as well as a valuable, mission critical corporate resource. The book is based on lecture notes that have been tested and proven over several years, with outstanding results. It also exemplifies mastery of the technique of combining and balancing theory with practice, to give students their best chance at success. Upholding his aim for brevity, comprehensive coverage, and relevance, author Elvis C. Foster’s practical and methodical discussion style gets straight to the salient issues, and avoids unnecessary fluff as well as an overkill of theoretical calculations.

The book discusses concepts, principles, design, implementation, and management issues of databases. Each chapter is organized systematically into brief, reader-friendly sections, with itemization of the important points to be remembered. It adopts a methodical and pragmatic approach to solving database systems problems. Diagrams and illustrations also sum up the salient points to enhance learning. Additionally, the book includes a number of Foster’s original methodologies that add clarity and creativity to the database modeling and design experience while making a novel contribution to the discipline. Everything combines to make Database Systems: A Pragmatic Approach an excellent textbook for students, and an excellent resource on theory for the practitioner.

What you’ll learn

• Learn the relational model and the advantages it brings to software systems
• Design database schemas with integrity rules that ensure correctness of corporate data
• Query data using SQL in order to generate reports, charts, graphs, and other business results
• Learn what it means to be a database administrator, and why the profession is highly paid
• Become familiar with the common database brands, their similarities and distinctives
• Explore special topics such as tree-based data, hashing for fast access, distributed and object databases, and more

Who this book is for

Database Systems: A Pragmatic Approach is aimed at database administrators desiring to increase their mastery of the theoretical underpinnings of their craft. The book is also aimed at students, and at professors needing a textbook for use by students, who are studying database technology, who aspire to a career as a database administrator or designer.

Table of Contents

Part I: Preliminary Topics
Chapter 1. Introduction to Database Systems
Chapter 2. The Database System Environment

Part II: The Relational Database Model
Chapter 3. The Relational Model
Chapter 4. Integrity Rules and Normalization
Chapter 5. Database Modeling and Design
Chapter 6. Database User Interface Design
Chapter 7. Relational Algebra
Chapter 8. Relational Calculus
Chapter 9. Relational System a Closer Look

Part III: Structured Query Language
Chapter 10. Overview of SQL
Chapter 11. SQL Definition Statements
Chapter 12. SQL Data Manipulation Statements
Chapter 13. Logical Views and Security
Chapter 14. The System Catalog
Chapter 15. Some Limitations of SQL

Part IV: Some Commonly Used DBMS Suites
Chapter 16. Overview of Oracle
Chapter 17. Overview of DB2
Chapter 18. Overview of Microsoft SQL Server
Chapter 19. Overview of Gupta Team Developer and MySQL
Chapter 20. Overview of Borland Delphi

Part V: Advanced Topics
Chapter 21. Database Administration
Chapter 22. Distributed Database Systems
Chapter 23. Object Databases
Chapter 24. Data Warehousing and Information Extraction
Chapter 25. Web-Accessible Databases

Part VI: Final Preparations
Chapter 26. Sample Exercises and Examination Questions

Part VII: Appendices
Chapter A. Review of Trees
Chapter B. Review of Hashing
Chapter C. Review of Information Gathering Techniques