Relational databases hold data, right? They do indeed, but to think of a database as nothing more than a container for data is to miss out on the profound power that underlies relational technology. A far more powerful way of thinking lies in relational technologys foundation in the mathematical disciplines of logic and set theory.
Databases contain truths or propositions describing some area of interest such as a business. Those truths are organized into sets. Operations from logic and set theory can be applied to existing sets of truths to derive new sets of truths. Applied Mathematics for Database Professionals introduces you to this way of thinking, to the logic and set theory that underlies relational database technology. All this may sound abstract now, but there are profound benefits from the deeper understanding youll gain from this book.
The math that you'll learn in this book will put you above the level of understanding of most database professionals today. You'll better understand the technology and be able to apply it more effectively. You'll avoid data anomalies like redundancy and inconsistency. Understanding whats in this book will take your mastery of relational technology to heights you may not have thought possible.
This book is reviewed and endorsed by C. J. Date and features a foreword by the same.
Table of Contents
- Logic: Introduction
- Set Theory: Introduction
- Some More Logic
- Relations and Functions
- Tables and Database States
- Tuple, Table, and Database Predicates
- Specifying Database Designs
- Specifying State Transition Constraints
- Data Retrieval
- Data Manipulation
- Implementing Database Designs in Oracle
- Summary and Conclusions
