Customer Reviews

Database Design for Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Relational Database Design

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I was first introduced to this book in College while I was learning relational database design and modeling concepts. Almost anyone can open Access and build a database, but are they doing it correctly? Knowing how to do something and WHY you are doing it are entirely different things. This book takes complicated technical information and breaks it out into an efficient and easy to understand format that anyone from a beginner to an expert can use and understand. Not only do you finish understanding the how and the why of relational design, but you have also been exposed to the detailed process of designing for others, methods of interviewing and example questions that show you how to get the information you need from your users that's crucial to your design. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it since the concepts are software independent. At my last job, our SQL DBA called this book his Bible. I just recently ordered it again for a friend who's beginning to learn about databases. Two thumbs up!

This book is adequate but not great as an introduction to designing databases. I agree with other reviewers that it's quite repetitive and goes to extremes on details like field specifications. I suppose if you know nothing about DB design this book is OK - but you'll need other books and lots of practice designing your own databases if you truly want to become proficient. A much better general intro book to databases and simple design is 'Inside Relational Databases' by Whitehorn & Marklyn. Novices should look at 'Absolute Beginner's Guide to Databases' by John V. Petersen first.

Once you've mastered those 2 books then get the best available book on DB design/modeling: 'Case*Method: Entity Relationship Modelling' by Richard Barker. It's excellent.

Two other options for university level/advanced modeling: 'Database Modeling & Design' by Toby J. Teorey and 'Data Modeling Essentials: Analysis, Design, and Innovation' by Graeme C. Simsion

I have to temper my enthusiasm for this book with the perspective gained by reading the negative comments of those who seem to be, by and large, professional database developers, programming experts, and teachers. First, I just gotta say: "no offense, but geez, what a bunch of snotty know-it-alls!" Now that I have that off my chest, this book was manna from heaven for me! I am a newbie, I'm using Access, I'm trying to create a system for my workplace (without knowing what I'm doing, mind you!), and I learn best through a logical approach, reinforcement, and repitition. I actually enjoyed the experience of skipping some paragraphs thinking, "yeah, yeah, you said that already, I GOT it!" But I think even having that experience helps me learn by shoring up the information deposit in my head. If you're in my situation, and you like starting at the beginning and getting a solid foundation, AND if you're not a big whoopdie doo database mogul, you will love this book! BTW, this is not a book about Access or any particular brand of database software, but a book about FUNDAMENTALS of database design that is probably most appropriate for people who don't intend to make their living designing databases. I'd bet that's a lot of people.

I'm buying this book a second time because I lent it out one too many times to people at my last job. I agree with the other reviewers that note that learning everything this book has to teach will not make you a DBA. But it will help you talk intelligently to your DBA. I highly recommend this book for Project Managers and Business Analysts that will gather end-user requirements for development projects that will entail building or revising databases. The highly detailed end-user interview method described is worth the price - its eessentially why I'm buying it, again. In that way, this book has a place in larger DB development projects.

But this book can have an even more prominent role in smaller DB development projects. The "Design" part of the title is justified because it does explain enough about normalization, referential integrity, and other technical topics to help a first-time, amateur database designer create a good design for a simple database. But be forewarned 1) it won't help you administer that DB over the whole software life cycle or 2) tell you how to implement your design in any specific RDBMS (e.g. SQL Server, Access, Oracle) - you'll have to get that from an RDBMS-product-specific title. And 3) you'll need more theory from some other book for more complex databases.

A lot of books that attempt to explain a technical topic to a wider audience leave the intended, amateur audience confused and the experienced professional bored. This book will bore any competent DBA, who should know all this stuff. But for "Mere Mortals", the intended audience, this book is a gem. That is why I rate it 5 stars.

The title conveys well the usefulness of this book.

After wading through a dozen books on the theoretical aspects of relational database design, I was looking for a good introductory text on the actual practice of building tables. I found this book an excellent primer.

I have made this book required reading at our company for novice database developers. It's a quick read and removes the fear of atttempting database development. It's an a - z approach, so coupled with one of the common ACCESS references, the book provides all that is needed for single-handed developement of a simple relational database project.

It seems like everyone who likes this book thinks it would be useful for experienced designers as well as novices. Some reviewers who apparently do not consider themselves novices found it very helpful. Well, it depends on your definition of novice. An novice db designer may have lots of experience in programming, or even creating databases. That does not mean they have experience relating data to a business problem or solving problems caused by bad design. I've seen programmers who solve design problems by coding around them. This book does a good job in emphasizing all the things that a person with technical skills but a lack of business skills may have lacked in their experience or education: how to talk to people, how to organize a project, how to analyze a business problem and a technical solution. This is like people who learn in school how to solve equations, but get stumped by word problems.

I bought this book based on the great reviews and assertions it was not just for novices. In my opinion, it is for anyone who has learned at most the technical aspect, and needs the theoretical and business background. In addition it does look like the book had less than thorough editing. It is littered with are typos, incorrect grammar, illustrations with poor placement relative to text, and erroneous or questionable statements (though these last are mainly confined to commentary), references to previously unexplained terms, etc. However, no book is perfect and although I found these things annoying, they would be scarcely significant to a novice, as he does have a very easy to read, non-technical approach. Clean it up with editing and call it something like Database Design Step By Step and it would actually be a great book. One last note: a review calls this a good book for the nasty task of db design... people with the right skills find database design a challenging, enjoyable problem. If someone doesn't enjoy the task, perhaps it's just not a good fit for them.

Designing a simple database, especially one that does not need to store transaction-related data, is supposed to be a straightforward process. And this book affirms this fact. Starting from a real-world situation (though somewhat oversimplified), the author takes you through a series of clearly-defined and practical steps to finish with a robust and well-designed database: ready for setting up in anyone of the more popular DBMS programs. Well, almost... The author does not discuss or even mention other design parameters, such as access mechanisms and indexes, that should be set in order to tune the database for speed and efficiency. You'll need to consult a higher-level text such as 'Handbook of Relational Database Design' by Fleming et al for this and more in-depth stuff.

This book serves as a complete, stand-alone tutorial if all you want to do is set up a simple database, and where the emphasis is on how the data should be best organized to fulfill any request for information that is based on the data. Otherwise, it is a solid introductory text or even a refresher that should make you excited about databases and the irreplaceable role they play in a world where 'information the way you want it' is king!

A very clearly written guide to designing a relational database. I started with the other 'how to' books (Access 97 Bible, eg) but kept drawing a blank when it came to the most critical part of building a database: the design! This is NOT a guidebook for navigating dialog boxes; you already know how to do that. Mike leads you through lessons in how to think about the data you're trying to track. Once you start organizing your data along these lines, everything else just follows. I also bought ISBN: 1565926269. Most of that book is oriented towards VBA programming, but the first few chapters gloss over a few of the ideas that Mike covers more thoroughly. Start with Mike's book; it'll make more sense for the critical early design phase!

Ok - so I agree with most everyone else - for my exposure to databases it was a ways below my level. But for a beginner it is a great book... lighthearted and easy to read and understand.

Do you want to buy this book - answer this... do you know the PROPER way to create a many to many relationship in a database? If you do - then you dont need this book.

I purchased this text as an introduction to relational database design concepts with emphasis on practical knowledge and less theory. As a beginner in programming, knowing a generic background on design ideas and processes is a must.

The text generally introduces relational concepts well. Further, it does provide a very good basic history of how this computing concept began and evolved. The text is simply written -- middle to high school level. Moreover, it does provide general questions to ask yourself to find direction.

Unfortunately, it is too limited in a broad-brushed sense. It does not truly address any of the database development processes except for the interview. The author focused too much on this topic. This could have been limited to one chapter.

For a beginner to relational database concepts, historical frame of reference, and basic terminology, this text is ideal. In that regard, I do not regret purchasing the text.

Unfortunately, the most important processes from putting on paper to determining the route to take (i.e., programming choices, product choices, etc.) need further development. Moreover, this would be further aided by better and more numerous examples of each process (good and bad), etc. In short, yet another reference is needed to more fully develop the basics.

In summary, I recommend shopping for another text, when available, that takes each step a bit further. As of the purchase date, this was the best guide available given its easy to read and understand text -- its strongest point.