Customer Reviews

Inside Relational Databases

5 star:		(28)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Inside Relational Databases will teach the newcomer to Access or relational databases in general, the theory needed to design and develop applications in the most efficient and professional manner.

All those theoretical questions you are asking yourself when programming in Access will suddenly be answered, and you find yourself more confident and inspired to develop the best application possible now that you passed this hurdle; at least I did.

The first 3 parts of the book will teach you the relational database model supported by examples on the enclosed CD-ROM. These examples are not to be used as "cut & paste" into your own application, but designed to turn theory into reality easy to grasp! The last part consists of standalone chapters covering essential subjects related to database theory and design, like: Normalization, SQL, Queries and Codd's Rules

You will not find another computer book on Access and relational database theory and design, or any other subject for that matter, which makes use of such clear language. I have read the book cover to cover several times, and I am still impressed. Which makes me ask if we, the readers and buyers of computer books, quietly and wrongly accept badly written books filled with errors and poor language?

If I were asked to make a list of suggested readings for Access and database developers, this would be No. 1.

I have had countless hours of training in several versions of Access. It was never the using of Access that I had a problem with. What always mystified me was the design of the actual database. I would sit and ponder whether I needed one table, multiple tables, what should be the primary key, which relationships to use, etc. As a result, I never really was comfortable with or deeply into using Access. All of this has changed with this book. This book is written in a simple straightforward manner that explains all of these details. They carefully and not too slowly show you how to properly design your databases. Their examples are primarily in Access (97 & 2000 formats). Access 2000 is used for all of the screenshots. You learn by reading their instruction and then opening Access to view the related sample database located on the accompanying CDROM. This book is only 345 pages long. It is NOT the gigantic volume of so many books. As a result it is something you can get thru in managable bites and not feel overwhelmed. This book was really written for beginners. I don't think it would hurt an intermediate person to read it, but I think advanced developers can probably skip it. Having said all this, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It is one of those rare books that had a (good) career-impacting effect on me. I hope it is as helpful for you!

After searching through dozens of books about databases, I found Mr. Whitehorn's elegant, witty and kind book. As a new database student, changing careers midlife, I was struggling for days to understand concepts that Mr. Whitehorn cleared up in a hour's enjoyable read. (He's the kind of writer who could write about paperclips for 200 pages and hold the reader's attention.) His PhD put firmly aside, he demystifies the relational database with humor (the book is peppered with occasional asides telling one how to bluff and impress database purists), clarity and common sense. Back in school for a midlife career change, this book kept me firmly planted in my program when I was teetering on the edge of dropping out. SELECT GreatBook FROM Amazon WHERE Whitehead = Author

This book is excellent! At the time I read this book I had been working with Access, Sybase, & Oracle for 7 years. However all of my database knowledge was product-oriented and I did not have a really firm grasp of general database concepts and principles: primary & foreign keys, tables, joins, and other basic concepts were never explained thoroughly. Sure you can read about these concepts in the documentation for whatever database product you're using, but everyone glosses over these important basic concepts and assumes that "someone else covered it", when in fact no one has. This book changes all that. Although it is written for beginners, I suspect that even intermediate administrators and developers will get a lot out of this book; it's the kind of book where just when you think you already know the material, you come upon some nugget of information that clears up a concept you'd always had trouble understanding. That's what makes this book valuable. The fact that the author is british doesn't surprise me; I've noticed lately that when it comes to technical writing, English authors do an excellent job of covering the basics before going on to the more technical material, whereas American authors tend to focus more on writing books and articles that are product-specific. Now that Mark Whitehorn has covered the basics in this book, I hope he will consider writing an Oracle book.

Could someone who has read this book please write a review and indicate whether or not the new edition uses all examples in Microsoft Access (as the old edition did) or not? Thanks.
Yeah, all of the original examples from the first edition are still based on Access - the sample files are provided in Access 7 and Access 200 format. What has been added to the second edition of the book is a section that covers topics like triggers, transaction logs, ER modelling etc. Those are more relevant to client-server database engines like SQL Server, DB2 and Oracle and to tools like Visio and ErWin; so the new section uses some screen shots from those tools.
If you are an Access user this book is still as appropriate to you as the first edition was. And, if you use one of the more complex database engines, the second edition has just become even better than it was because there is information about the addition features that those tools use.

If you want to learn the essentials of relational database theory, this is the book. The authors did a superb job of explaining the concepts and avoiding jargon that muddles up clear understanding, especially for beginners. I admit that I flinched at the price tag for a small paperback book, but I read other reader's praise of the book and I am extremely happy that I purchased and digested the material. I read it an hour or two every day for 2 weeks. Believe it or not it bordered on being "light fun reading". Don't know too many useful computer books that I would describe as such. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!!

Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou, thankyou Mr Whitehorn. I had developed a very saleable piece of database software. After reading your book I looked at my program and cried with laughter. BIG tables full of unrelated data, covoluted queries to unleash even the simplest of reports, you name it I had done it wrong. I re-wrote the program in a tenth of the time it took me first time around and now I can make it do anything. Don't EVEN THINK about writing a database until you have read this book. You have been warned.

Thankyou once again

Mike Herberts.

This is probably the only computer book that I have read that has been worth the money. The writing style is concise, clear, and to the point. Unlike most programming books that are filled with jargon, Whitehorn & Marklyn refrain from blatant attempts to impress the reader with "computer speak". Instead, they intelligently explain the history and benefits of relational database design. I have been creating databases for 2 years and I found this book to be a great resource.

This very readable book is meant as a companion to Access but is useful as a reference when working with any relational database. It provides a brief 252-page statement of the principles of Codd's relational model, including normalization, keys, relationships, referential integrity, and SQL. It has many fine examples, which are also included on a CD.

Without close attention to relational rules, most new database architects will find implementation and maintenance problems down the road, since Access itself can be used to easily create tables that do not follow the relational model. The common Access how-to books often only briefly discuss the grammar of the relational model.

One author teaches relational theory; the other is a former Microsoft top gun for the development of Access.

This book is indispensable for the new database architect and a useful quick review for the more experienced. I handed out two copies to staff programmers and kept one for my own desk.

Although this book is about relational databases in general, and not specifically a Microsoft Access book, it will teach you (using examples in Access), in plain English, HOW a relational database works. After initially trying to learn Access (and getting confused by the concepts), I stopped my studies in order to read this book. It made all the difference in the world. When I returned to my studies, I made tremendous progress. You must read this book if you are even thinking of creating a relational database. Finally, it is a very easy (and fun) to read book. The author's sense of humor keeps things light and lively (but this is no lightweight book; you will learn very important and useful concepts).