Data Modeling: A Beginner's Guide [Paperback]

Andy Oppel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0071623981 | ISBN-13: 978-0071623988 | Edition: 1

Essential Skills--Made Easy!

Learn how to create data models that allow complex data to be analyzed, manipulated, extracted, and reported upon accurately. Data Modeling: A Beginner's Guide teaches you techniques for gathering business requirements and using them to produce conceptual, logical, and physical database designs. You'll get details on Unified Modeling Language (UML), normalization, incorporating business rules, handling temporal data, and analytical database design. The methods presented in this fast-paced tutorial are applicable to any database management system, regardless of vendor.

Designed for Easy Learning

• Key Skills & Concepts--Chapter-opening lists of specific skills covered in the chapter
• Ask the expert--Q&A sections filled with bonus information and helpful tips
• Try This--Hands-on exercises that show you how to apply your skills
• Notes--Extra information related to the topic being covered
• Self Tests--Chapter-ending quizzes to test your knowledge

Andy Oppel has taught database technology for the University of California Extension for more than 25 years. He is the author of Databases Demystified, SQL Demystified, and Databases: A Beginner's Guide, and the co-author of SQL: A Beginner's Guide, Third Edition, and SQL: The Complete Reference, Third Edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andy Oppel has taught database technology for the University of California for more than 20 years. He is the bestselling author of Databases Demystified, SQL Demystified, and Databases: A Beginner’s Guide and co-author of SQL: A Beginner’s Guide, Third Edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (December 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071623981
• ISBN-13: 978-0071623988
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andrew J. (Andy) Oppel is a proud graduate of The Boys' Latin School of Maryland and of Transylvania University (Lexington, KY) where he earned a BA in computer science in 1974. Since then he has been continuously employed in a wide variety of information technology positions, including programmer, programmer/analyst, systems architect, project manager, senior database administrator, database group manager, consultant, database designer, and data architect. He is currently a lead data modeler at Blue Shield of California.

In addition, he has been a part-time instructor with the University of California (Berkeley) Extension for over 25 years, and received the Honored Instructor Award for the year 2000. His teaching work included developing three courses for UC Extension, "Concepts of Database Management Systems", "Introduction to Relational Database Management Systems", and "Data Modeling and Database Design". He also earned his Oracle 9i Database Associate certification in 2003.

Aside from computer systems, Andy enjoys music (guitar and vocals), amateur radio, and soccer (Referee Instructor, U.S. Soccer).

Andy has designed and implemented hundreds of databases for a wide range of applications, including medical research, banking, insurance, apparel manufacturing, telecommunications, wireless communications, and human resources. His database product experience includes IMS, DB2, Sybase, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, MySQL, and Oracle.

Andy has authored "Databases Demystified", "SQL Demystified", "Databases, A Beginner's Guide", and "Data Modeling, A Beginner's Guide". He is also co-author of "SQL, A Beginner's Guide, 3rd Edition" and "SQL, The Complete Reference, 3rd Edition". The 2nd edition of "Databases Demystified" is due out in the fall of 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book really helps, February 15, 2010

By 

Roger K. Trang - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Data Modeling: A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

This book is perfect for beginner who wants to learn about data modeling in RDBMS. This book has good TOC and very easy to find what you want to read.

Very useful tips like "Ask the Experts" section. Very easy to understand when a book comes with step-by-step section. Good examples to show tables and data relationships.

I am new to data modeling in RDBMS but after reading this, I can easily create a small test database with some test data and check out the examples from this book. At the end ...., I say hey..it works!!!