This book was just the text I was looking for as a n00b data base designer looking to build a data base for a pet project of mine. I'm a forester and forest planner, not a computer specialist. Thus, I needed instruction from the ground up, and this book fit the bill.
Some specific praise: First, the book bridged the gap between administrative needs (or in my case, general concept) and logical design. How do we get from those notes and vague understanding of the administrative environment to a specific design? This book helps. Second, it give the reader a basic understanding of the terminology. Third, it explains relationships. Finally, it provides a methodology (constructing table descriptions and field specifications) for creating tight data structures.
Some advice: Get the 1st edition of this book and a couple others (like "The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Relational Databases") and learn the general concepts for as little money as possible. Supplement these books with one good new book that's specific to your RDBMS, and you're off and running. (At least, that's my approach, and it's working for me -- a n00b with a limited R&D budget.)
Conclusion: a great book for an introductory understanding of relational databases.
One of the best database design books out there!
This is one of the best database books I own. The author does a good job of explaining the basics and he guides you through the entire design process. Some chapters may be wordy for some people, but the author is trying to target everyone from novice to advanced user so this isn't surprising.
I have been a database user for years and already understood many database concepts, but this book fills in the gaps of what I didn't know. I recommend this book for anyone who needs to design or support database applications. It's a great book!
Excellent Reading
This is an excellent book for the average person who wants to know more about database design. The author has an excellent way of explaining the not so obvious and bringing it down to layman's terms. Great learning tool.
Great Book- Simple and Easy to Understand
Great Book. Simple and Easy to Understand. Reads as if Mike Hernandez is talking directly to you. There is no way that you would not have basic skills to design a relational database after having read this book. I would highly suggest this book for people looking to develop or manage already created databases in MS Access or any other rdbms applications. This is definitely a great reference book to have on the shelf. Relational database design is very understandable and well explained by this book.
Data Design for Mere Mortals
This is a textbook for a database design class I'm taking, and so far I'm finding it easy to follow and understand. It's written in every-day language, which is a huge help for us non-geeks. I'd recommend it.
