Customer Reviews

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Databases

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had no experience with databases before I read this book. I didn't even understand the basic concepts. This book includes basic definitions, detailed database design, SQL statements, how to use Microsoft Access (creating tables, relationships, queries, forms and reports). If you have little or no experience with databases, you will definitely take advantage of this book. It's very easy to read.

This won't necessarily be a book you look at much once you've digested its contents. What it does is outline basic database concepts using Access in its examples. You can use the book to get a basic Access database started, but don't rely on it if you're looking to create databases. Get an Access or database design book if that's your primary goal - IF, that is, IF you can make heads or tails out of most of what those books are talking about.

What I love about the book is its dedication to simplicity: I looked all over the place for a book that outlined basic database concepts in an easy to understand manner, and found book after book that promised to be 0-60, and spent about, oh, 2 pages on the 0-10. Where's the core basics, guys? Answer: in this book. It'll getcha up to 10 MPH, and then you can move on to bigger and better stuff.

After reading this book (and I had it bookmarked twelve ways come Sunday for about two months), I am finally ready to consider those more advanced books. I'm not a dummy, but sometimes a simple book is needed to bridge the gap between being a novice and being experienced. This was the book for me, and I highly recommend it to anybody who needs more than 2 pages of core database theory explanation. It's also easy to read and very user-friendly, by the way.

Now here is a book that really DOES live up to its title! Even for those of us who have built databases before, it contains surprises and would hold a worthy place on your shelf for review purposes if nothing else. As another review said, the additional info on the use of Visio is a nice touch. I personally had a few problems using it, but I was using Visio 2002 and Access 2002, and not version 2000, as the book used. This could have been the source of my problems, (that or an inability for me to follow instructions!) Either way though, the book really does have good, usable information under its covers, and is a worthy read for neophytes as well as the more experienced database mechanics and architects.

Finally, a simple and concise book that talks about introductory database concepts AND design. In the matter of a short space, John has done a supurb job of boiling down the material to an understandable level.

The book does contain SOME good information. That is as far as I will go. Every review failed to mention that the diagrams require a magnifying glass to read. I would assume that every reviewer had 20/20 vision but I know my wife does and she needed a magnifying glass to read the diagrams as well. It is littered with errors. One such is on page 63 "Did you notice relationship 5 is marked with an asterisk". I would like to know where the asterisk is, magnifying glass or not on any page. The book and reviews fail to spell out you better have Visio 2000 and Access 2000 to follow along. That aside from everything else the book never states that Visio 2000 and Access 2000 are what are used, it is assumed. You know what they say about assume. For a begginers book and the lack of editing I give it a "D". For general information about databases I give it a "C". I would say better luck next time but I would not drop another dime on a book written by this author. I hope he makes a better Attorney than an author.

This book aims to give a basic conceptual overview of databases and a specific introduction to Microsoft Access. It fails at both.

I found the conceptual overview incomprehensible, and I have read some pretty dense technical stuff and learned software from manuals. The author has a serious problem with definitions, explanations, and examples. His definitions are either inane ("A table represents a 'thing' about an organization." - basically not a definition at all) or unhelpful ("Database normalization can best be described as the process of organizing a database." - isn't everything in the book about the process of organizing a database?) or indecipherable ("The fourth normal form isolates independent multiple relationships, and the fifth normal form isolates semantically related multiple relationships." - because all "absolutely beginners" know what an independent multiple relationship or a semantically related multiple relationship is, right?).

It seems as if the author gives purposely useless definitions so that he can say, Let me explain by using an example instead. But he does not know how to explain from examples. His writing does not make clear what in the example is a universal principle and what is a specific illustration. One example moves to another without an idea of what the point of the example was. After reading and re-reading his chapter of database normalization, one of the basic conceptual principles, I had a deep urge to whip out my college writing instructor's red pen. If I did, the pages would bleed with comments like, How? Why? How does this relate to this? How does this sentence follow from the previous sentence? Unclear!

It doesn't help that the author has a lazy, annoying writing style filled with crutches like "The question is ...," "The question remains ..." "What the heck does this all mean?" Usually, I don't know why the question is being asked. I don't know why the question "remains" and wasn't answered chapters earlier. And worst of all, most of the time, the author never answers his own question! The frequent editing errors don't make it any easier for me to decipher the text.

As for the chapters focusing specifically on Access, they fail due to the over-reliance on screen shots. One of the other reviewers commented that you need a magnifying glass and 20/20 vision. I actually have 20/15 vision and still cannot make out the tiny images. A magnifying glass would be of no help because it's the print quality that renders the micro-fonts illegible. How did this ever get past quality control? As others noted, you have to have Access open on a computer to even try to follow the book.

This is bad teaching, bad writing, bad editing, bad publishing, and ultimately, bad thinking. So the question remains: Does technical writing have to be so bad?

This may be a good book, but after 50 pages and finding that I need Microsoft Access, as well as Visio to follow along, and then my Visio version doesn't have the required template...it is just a very frustrating book to get anywhere with. I'll keep trying, but this book just isn't for the beginner...sorry.

I have been looking for a basic, easy to understand book on database analysis and design. It seems like any of the design tools on the market cost 000's of dollars. I had no idea Visio had the abilities Mr. Petersen discussed and illustrated in his book.

The one chapter that discussed how to use Visio as a database design tool is enough to convince me this book is a must have for anybody wishing to learn how datbases work!

If you are interested in learning about database client/server technology (SQL Server, MYSQL, Oracle, DB2, etc this book is probably not for you. If you want to learn SQL this book is probably not for you. This book does attempt to make clear the most basic database concepts. You must have MS Acess and Visio, though.

This is just what I was looking for, it's clear and covers the basics, the fourdational information about databases. I'm very pleased with the purchase.