database Design book

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database Design book

BrentMc

Old Hand

Points: 383
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July 16, 2008 at 3:14 am

#195290

I want to buy a database design book and would like your opinion on which one to buy. There is so many to choose from and if you've read a good one then you're likely to recommend it.
cheers,
Brent.

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Alex-815008 Mr or Mrs. 500 Points: 510 More actions · Answer 1

I guess it depends on how much you know already and what you want to design a database to acheive (i.e. OLTP or OLAP), and so on.

I've never actually read a database design book, I don't think - so I'm not going to be able to recommend one to you, unfortunately. Aside from on-the-job experience, I've been on a few of the MS courses, but what is good for you will depend very much on where your starting point is and what your objectives are.

If you could add more specific info then perhaps others will be able to put forward suggestions though. Sorry this is not a direct answer, but perhaps it will get the ball rolling for you.

Gift Peddie SSC Guru Points: 73570 More actions · Answer 2

Check the links below for many good Data Modeling books and Data Model samples, I have used the G Lawerence Sanders book very small and comes with ready to use samples. The book is old but relational design have not changed a lot because tables and columns are the basic even today. So check out these books at your local book store and buy two to get started.

http://www.databaseanswers.com/modelling_books.htm

http://www.databaseanswers.org/data_models/index.htm

Kind regards,
Gift Peddie

Leslie Owen SSC Rookie Points: 40 More actions · Answer 3

This is SQL server specific but it is very practical and quite good.

http://www.amazon.com/Server-2005-Database-Design-Optimization/dp/1590595297/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218725655&sr=8-1

Gift Peddie SSC Guru Points: 73570 More actions · Answer 4

There is nothing in Design that is RDBMS vendor specific, I know some of the writers of that book who do not know Views are persisted queries so I don't see such people knowing about relational design which is dry more relational algebra than any other part of database development.

Kind regards,
Gift Peddie

Les Cardwell Ten Centuries Points: 1251 More actions · Answer 5

Hi Brent,

In a rather lengthy treatise I tried to offer something of the kind in the last chapter... you can download it at http://www.whiteboxinc.com/anf.pdf or http://www.kingstonco.com/Downloads.htm (a few items down - 'Abstract Normalization').

HTH...

Les

Dr. Les Cardwell, DCS-DSS
Enterprise Data Architect
Central Lincoln PUD

Carl Federl One Orange Chip Points: 25384 More actions · Answer 6

I own many database design books, and recommend either of these two.

College course reference and tends to the theoretical:

Handbook of Relational Database Design

by C. C. Fleming and Barbara von Halle

Addison-Wesley; ISBN 0-201-11434-8.

http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Relational-Database-Candace-Fleming/dp/0201114348/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218821766&sr=1-1

For a more practical approach:

The Data Modeling Handbook : A Best-Practice Approach to Building Quality Data Models by Michael Reingruber, William W. Gregory (Contributor)

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; ISBN: 0471052906; (December 1994)

http://www.amazon.com/Data-Modeling-Handbook-Best-Practice-Approach/dp/0471052906/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218821842&sr=1-1

SQL = Scarcely Qualifies as a Language

Leslieo Old Hand Points: 313 More actions · Answer 7

There are three phases to database design:

Conceptual

Logical

Physical implementation

Conceptual and Logical design do not involve a specific RDBMS. A specific RDBMS has to be involved in physical implementation unless it's vaporware.

Gift Peddie SSC Guru Points: 73570 More actions · Answer 8

That is the thing you have skipped creating the ER design before converting the ER design to the relational tables still does not include RDBMS vendors.

And I argued for some days with one of the writers of the book posted by Leslie Owen about Views he thinks Views comes with DDL well they don't because they are persisted queries. And if you don't know something that simple you are not qualified to write a relational design book, here is the link to the book recommended by Leslie Owen.

Let me repeat I sent the user to experts in design who offer a list of very good books the person can choose.

http://www.amazon.com/Server-2005-Database-Design-Optimization/dp/1590595297/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218725655&sr=8-1

Kind regards,
Gift Peddie

Carl Federl One Orange Chip Points: 25384 More actions · Answer 9

Gift Peddie wrote

That is the thing you have skipped creating the ER design before converting the ER design to the relational tables still does not include RDBMS vendors.
And I argued for some days with one of the writers of your book about Views ...

Sorry, but I cannot determine which book and author your are referencing, so if you could post some specifics, it would be appreciated.

SQL = Scarcely Qualifies as a Language

Gift Peddie SSC Guru Points: 73570 More actions · Answer 10

Carl,

My bad I had assumed Leslie owen had changed profile to LeslieO hence my comment so I was referring to the book in the link below. And thanks for replying I would have thought I was talking to Leslie Owen instead of a different user Leslieo. So I am going to edit my previous post to make the correction needed.

http://www.amazon.com/Server-2005-Database-Design-Optimization/dp/1590595297/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218725655&sr=8-1

Kind regards,
Gift Peddie

Carl Federl One Orange Chip Points: 25384 More actions · Answer 11

Thanks Gift and I understand your point.

When I was young and first making the transition from IBM mainframes to Unix/Windows environment and a customer told me that the RDBMS was going to be X, I believed them and jumped straight to a physical design. After getting burned when the customer changed their mind and switched to Y, I learned better.

Now when doing the logical modeling, I always ask myself, is this going be implemented on DB2 or Oracle instead of SQL Server, would the logical model be the same? Premature physical design is difficult to avoid.

SQL = Scarcely Qualifies as a Language

gints.plivna Ten Centuries Points: 1256 More actions · Answer 12

1. Data Model Patterns: Conventions of Thought by David C. Hay, ISBN: 0932633293;

2. The Data Model Resource Book, Vol. 1: A Library of Universal Data Models for All Enterprises by Len Silverston, ISBN: 0471380237;

3. Requirements Analysis: From Business Views to Architecture by David C. Hay, ISBN: 0130282286.

Gints Plivna
http://www.gplivna.eu

Leslieo Old Hand Points: 313 More actions · Answer 13

Here is the link to Andy Warren's review of the first version of the book:

SQL Server 2000 Database Design

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Book+Reviews/reviewsqlserver2000databasedesign/370/

I was taught that a view is a virtual table and haven't been able to find any reputable source that considers a view a "persisted query." Can you clarify?

I did find this information regarding how a view is defined in the ISO 2003 standard. Note this is generally the final committee draft.

http://savage.net.au/SQL/sql-2003-2.bnf

ISO/IEC 9075-2:2003 - Database Language SQL (SQL-2003) SQL/Foundation

=============from section: "Define a schema"==============

::=

|

--h3 11.2 (p520)

.... .............

Define a viewed table.

--/p

::=

CREATE [ RECURSIVE ] VIEW

[ WITH [ ] CHECK OPTION ]

]

::= CASCADED | LOCAL

--h3 11.23 (p598)

--/h3

--p

Destroy a view.

--/p

=========================

Leslieo Old Hand Points: 313 More actions · Answer 14

let's see if this works:

schema element :

drop schema statement (p520)