Databases, Types and the Relational Model (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

C. J. Date (Author), Hugh Darwen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321399420 | ISBN-13: 978-0321399427 | Publication Date: March 6, 2006 | Edition: 3

This is a book on database management that is based on an earlier book by the same authors, Foundation for Future Database Systems: The Third Manifesto.  It can be seen as an abstract blueprint for the design of a DBMS and the language interface to such a DBMS.  In particular, it serves as a basis for a model of type inheritance.  This book is essential reading for database professionals.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Databases

 

Databases, Types, and the Relational Model: The Third Manifesto

C. J. Date

Hugh Darwen

 

Databases, Types, and the Relational Model: The Third Manifesto is a proposal for the future direction of data and database management systems (DBMSs). It provides a precise, formal definition of an abstract model of data, to be considered as a foundation for the design of a DBMS and a database language.

 

The proposed foundation represents an evolutionary step, not a revolutionary one; it builds on Ted Codd's relational model of data and on the research that sprang from Codd's work. It also incorporates a precise and comprehensive specification for a method of defining data types, including a comprehensive model of type inheritance based on specialization by constraint (as opposed to the “extension” method of subtyping found in object-oriented languages). Thus, it not only redefines the relational model in modern terms and clarifies it where clarification seemed necessary, but also addresses the orthogonal issue of the data types on whose existence the relational model depends. It is therefore offered as a firm foundation for the DBMSs of the future and is essential reading for database students and professionals alike.

 

New to the Third Edition

• Introductory overview of the relational model and the type theory espoused in the Manifesto, to make the book more suitable for educational purposes and more self-contained
• A comprehensive set of exercises, with solutions available online for instructors
• Improvements to Tutorial D, the language used throughout the book for illustrative purposes (at least one implementation of this language, Rel, is now freely available for teaching purposes)
• All SQL discussions upgraded to the level of the current standard SQL:2003
• A supporting Web site: www.thethirdmanifesto.com
• An extensive set of appendixes, including one on the still controversial subject of view updating

 

Hugh Darwen was employed in IBM's software development divisions from 1967 to 2004. In the early part of his career, he was involved in DBMS development, and during the period 1978-1982, he was one of the chief architects of an IBM product called Business System 12, a product that faithfully embraced the principles of the relational model. He has been an active participant in the development of SQL international standards since 1988. He is a lecturer and course development consultant at Warwick University and the Open University, both in the U.K.

 

C.J. Date is an independent author, lecturer, researcher, and consultant specializing in relational database systems. He was one of the first to recognize the fundamental importance of Codd's pioneering work on the relational model. He was also involved in technical planning for the IBM products, SQL/DS and DB2. Date is best known for his books, in particular An Introduction to Database Systems, Eighth Edition (Addison-Wesley, 2004), the standard text in the field, which has sold nearly three quarters of a million copies worldwide.

About the Author

C. J. Date is an independent author, lecturer, researcher, and consultant specializing in relational database systems.  An active member of the database community for over 30 years, Date has devoted the major part of his career to exploring, expanding, and expounding the theory and practice of relational technology.  He was also involved in technical planning for the IBN products SQL/DS and DB2 and his book, An Introduction to Database Systems, has sold well over half a million copies worldwide.

 

Hugh Darwen has been involved in software development since 1967 as an employee of IBM United Kingdom Ltd.  He has been active in the relational database arena since 1978.  His writings include contributions to Date’s Relational Database Writings series and A Guide to the SQL Standard.  He has been an active participant in the development of the SQL international standards since 1988.

Product Details

• Paperback: 572 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 3 edition (March 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321399420
• ISBN-13: 978-0321399427
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #778,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive Critique and Promising Blueprint, January 8, 2008

By 

SeánMacGC "SeánMacGC" (Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Databases, Types and the Relational Model (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

In this 3rd edition of The Third Manifesto, the authors have, in their own words, stripped the 'polemics'and added exercises to facilitate tuition.

This is a further refinement and expansion of their blueprint for a truly relational Database Management System (DBMS). It is fair to say that they are not influenced in the slightest by vendor concerns, and that is a refreshing but sadly diminishing trait in these computing times. Consequently, they will always call a spade a spade, and will not be shy is so stating. Therefore NULLs and duplicate tuples, for example, will always be abominations to be repulsed totally in any database that aspires to the 'relational' label.

Throughout all of their work concerning the Relational Model (RM), the first and foremost inspiration for which is of course E.F. Codd, there prevail several fundamental and immutable themes that are given full treatment in this volume: strict adherence to the mathematics of the RM (no NULLs, duplicates, etc.), clear separation of the logical and the physical (so often muddled together), the orthogonality of data types within the RM (data types do not impinge on or compromise the RM, and vice versa), proper and comprehensive declarative integrity constraints within the DBMS (no current SQL DBMS provides anything like full integrity constraint support), the many deficiencies of SQL (bearing in mind that Darwen and Date produced what is perhaps the definitive SQL reference in 'The SQL Standard') and therefore necessitating a better language (which they have devised, and called it 'D'). No physical aspects of implementing the authors' recommendations are considered in this book, and nor should they be.

Anyone who has clocked up any degree of significant experience on SQL DBMSs will surely have had 'fun' with duplicate, triplicate, quadruplicate, etc., rows, or having totally incorrect results returned because NULLs have not been handled correctly; not to mention severe data integrity issues, or the quirks of SQL.

I have no doubt that had DBMSs from their inception adhered to principles similar to those as laid forth in this volume, DBMS professionals would have had much less 'fun', and end users would have had much more confidence in the data returned to them. It may be very late in the day where the major DBMS vendors are concerned, but hope springs eternal (almost).

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent treatment for subtyping and polytype operations, February 18, 2011

By 

Truth-seeker - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Databases, Types and the Relational Model (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

This boos is a very good and very important one. Unlike books on Object-Orientations, this book is properly detailed (most if not all Object-Orientation books are either not detailed or poorly detailed). However, there are things that prevent me to rate this book as 5-star. First, the use of the word Variable as the four core concepts. Not all objects are variables. There are constants and non-valuable objects (such as objects of type module / package / unit). Thus, for my own purpose and teaching, I replace variables with objects, and properly define 'Object' in my Doctoral Thesis. Second, the use of both terms Value and Literal. The term literal is not necessary. It breaks the accuracy of claim that the four core concepts is sufficient. The authors must either include literal as one of 5 (instead of 4) core concepts, or not use literal altogether. Third, the use of the word operator. While the authors admit that both terms operator and operation can be used interchangeably, they prefer operator. I prefer operation. Using the word operator is too mathematical for programmers. Fourth, the use of the word tuple. Again this is bad. I prefer the word record. Fifth: the concept of possrep (possible representation) is unclear; it is a new idea but unclear and worthless. Why not using the module's interface and module's implementation? Sixth: Finally, Tutorial D is not a good programming language because it does not properly implement modular programming. Seventh: the books does not associate encapsulation with modular programming. Terrible mistake.

6 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing but nonsense, April 17, 2009

By 

Jonathan Allen (Lakeside, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Databases, Types and the Relational Model (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

This book and its related site, "The Third Manifesto", is nothing but utter nonsense. The author and his associates are attempting to build a relational database model that doesn't have to deal with NULL values.

The end result is a complicated mess in which even a simple one-line query baloons into a dozen lines or more. Needless to say, these theories have never been put into practice in any real application.

I highly recommend that anyone interested in actual database theory to stay as far away as possible from this book.