Date on Database: Writings 2000-2006 (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: nonsequenced operations, distinct relvars, relvar constraints, Hugh Darwen, Relational Database Writings, Morgan Kaufmann (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Date on Database: Writings 2000�2006 captures some of the freshest thinking from widely known and respected relational database pioneer C. J. Date. Known for his tenacious defense of relational theory in its purest form, Date tackles many topics that are important to database professionals, including the difference between model and implementation, data integrity, data redundancy, deviations in SQL from the relational model, and much more.

Date clearly and patiently explains where many of todays products and practices go wrong, and illustrates some of the trouble you can get into if you dont carefully think through your use of current database technology. In almost every field of endeavor, the writings of the founders and early leaders have had a profound effect. And now is your chance to read Datewhile his material is fresh and the field is still young. Youll want to read this book because it

• Provides C. J. Dates freshest thinking on relational theory versus current products in the field
• Features a tribute to E. F. Codd, founder of the relational database field
• Clearly explains how the unwary practitioner can avoid problems with current relational database technology
• Offers novel insights into classic issues like redundancy and database design

About the Author

C. J. Date is an independent author, lecturer, researcher, and consultant, specializing in relational database technology (a field he helped pioneer). He is best known for his book, An Introduction to Database Systems (8th edition, 2004), which has sold over 750,000 copies and is used by several hundred colleges and universities worldwide. He is also author of many other books on relational database management, including most recently Logic and Databases: The Roots of Relational Theory (2007). He was inducted into the Computing Industry Hall of Fame in 2004.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 568 pages
• Publisher: Apress (November 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159059746X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590597460
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,065,298 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Compilation From Chris Date, February 5, 2007

By	Data Guy (Texas) - See all my reviews

Chris Date's new book is essentially the best of Chris Date's recent musings on database management and the relational model. The book anthologizes Date's prodigious output over the past seven years.

Anyone who is working with database systems ought to be familiar with the work of Chris Date. He is an independent author, lecturer, researcher, and consultant specializing in relational database technology. His outstanding book, An Introduction to Database Systems, is a standard in the field and is used by many universities to teach database management. His impact on the field has been profound.

Anyway, this book is a treasure. The book gallantly gallops from subject to subject covering many pertinent issues related to databases and DBMS implementation. The book tackles subjects both familiar and not-so-familiar in an authoritative and easy to read manner. If you think you completely understand SQL you owe it to yourself to read the chapters on SQL and relational misconceptions.

Yes, some of this material can be found for free on the web. But not all of it. And, even if all of it was freely available I would still want to own the book to have it readily available, all in one place.

This book is basically the latest in a series of books that Date has written like this for Addison-Wesley under the title Relational Database Writings. Date has moved to a new publisher (and a new title), but the content is as vital as ever. I own all of his previous titles and I heartily recommend this new one, too. If you work with databases, Date on Database will surely enlighten, entertain and educate you. You owe it to yourself and your career to read this book, as well as Chris Date's many other books.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful mind, November 8, 2007

By	Michael Milligan "Classics lover" (Kaysville, Utah, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am just buying this book today. So why am I writing a review? Because everything said about Chris Date by Data Guy is absolutely right on. I too have all of his previous books, including his gold standard text book on database systems and his previous "Writings" books. Reading CJ Date is why I learned to love database. He's brilliant, and his logic really is a beautiful thing to read. There is no t uncrossed, no i undotted. One of my favorite writings and one I recommend to everyone is called "A Table Without Columns". We all get that you can have a table without rows. But when you understand that we can have a table without columns, and why, you begin to understand the brilliance of the relational model.

I agree with Data Guy - buy all of his Writings books especially. They are self-contained and every one you read will give you a better and deeper understanding of the relational model. And yes, it does matter in real life. Just think about the myriad failed or limping applications that exist because people so readily dismiss these important principles.