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Designing Effective Database Systems
- By Rebecca M. Riordan
- Published Jan 10, 2005 by Addison-Wesley Professional.
Book
- Sorry, this book is no longer in print.
About
Features
A clear, easy to follow guide to the messy practice of building an effective database, using lots of real-world examples.
° Many professional developers have never had formal instruction in the design of databases; this book gives them the guidance they need to build good databases easily.
° Approaches what can be a very dry topic with style and lucidity, with plenty of realworld examples and clear explanations.
° Author is well-known and well-respected in the field of database design.
Description
- Copyright 2005
- Dimensions: 7" x 9-1/4"
- Pages: 384
- Edition: 1st
- Book
- ISBN-10: 0-321-29093-3
- ISBN-13: 978-0-321-29093-9
“Riordan covers core skills for any developer—database design and development—in a perfect amount of detail. This book should be on every professional developer’s reading list.”
—Duncan Mackenzie, developer, Microsoft (MSDN)
“Designing a database is not a trivial subject. Riordan brings experience and clear explanations to a fundamental part of software development.”
—Patrick Birch, database and technical writing consultant
“If you buy only one book on database design, make it this one. Riordan has a talent for explaining technical issues in simple language, without over simplifying.”
—Brendan Reynolds, developer, Dataset IT Systems and Microsoft Access MVP
“A book that will expertly guide you in how to develop a database for a client— and how to do it right the first time!”
—Kenneth D. Snell, Ph.D., ACCESS developer and Microsoft Access MVP
“Riordan has produced a unique book that brings together a formal, yet commonsense, approach to relational database design...and then goes further! Many database designers will find immense value in the steps to developing practical data warehouse designs. If you are seeking a framework for designing transactional databases, or want to step out into the world of analytical databases, Riordan’s book excels at bridging both worlds.”
—Paul Irvine, vice president, engineering, Via Training
“Riordan takes a complex subject and makes it easy. If you’re over your head on a database design project, this book will help bail you out!”
—Mike Gunderloy, contributing editor, Application Development Trends
“This book covers a wide range of database design and data modeling topics in a well-organized, easy to understand format.”
—Amy Sticksel, Sticksel Data Systems, Inc.
“In Designing Effective Database Systems, Riordan’s style, wit, and attention to detail are outstanding.”The Software Developer’s Step-by-Step Guide to Database Design
—Sandra Daigle, Microsoft Access MVP
World-renowned expert Rebecca M. Riordan has written the definitive database design book for working developers who aren’t database experts. No matter how messy or complex your data challenge, Designing Effective Database Systems shows you how to design an effective, high-performance database to solve it.
Riordan begins by thoroughly demystifying the principles of relational design, making them accessible to every professional developer. Next, she offers the field’s clearest introduction to dimensional database modeling—practical insight for designing today’s increasingly important analytical applications.
One task at a time, the author illuminates every facet of database analysis and design for both traditional databases and the dimensional databases used for data warehousing, showing how to avoid common architectural pitfalls that complicate development and reduce extensibility. The book concludes with comprehensive, expert guidance on designing databases for maximum usability.
This book will teach you to
- Understand relational database models, structures, relationships, and data integrity principles
- Define database system goals, criteria, scope, and work processes
- Construct accurate conceptual models: relationships, entities, domain analysis, and normalization
- Build efficient, secure database schema
- Master the elements of online analytical processing (OLAP) design: fact tables, dimension tables, snowflaking, and more
- Architect and construct easy, efficient interfaces for querying and reporting
- Learn from practice examples based on Microsoft’s Northwind sample database
Riordan has helped thousands of professionals master database design and development, earning Microsoft’s coveted MVP honor for her exceptional contributions. Nobody is more qualified to help you master database design and apply it in your real-world environment.
Sample Content
Online Sample Chapter
Effective Database Design: Choosing The Right Process
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Table of Contents
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
I. RELATIONAL DATABASE THEORY.
1. Basic Concepts.
What Is a Database?
Database Tools
The Relational Model
Relational Terminology
The Data Model
Summary
2. Database Structure.
Eliminating Redundancy
Ensuring Flexibility
Basic Principles
First Normal Form
Second Normal Form
Third Normal Form
Further Normalization
Summary
3. Relationships.
Terminology
Modeling Relationships
One-to-One Relationships
One-to-Many Relationships
Many-to-Many Relationships
Unary Relationships
Ternary Relationships
Relationships of Known Cardinality
Summary
4. Data Integrity.
Integrity Constraints
Implementing Data Integrity
Summary
5. Relational Algebra.
Nulls and Three-Valued Logic (One More Time)
Relational Operations
Set Operators
Special Relational Operators
Summary
II. DIMENSIONAL DATABASE THEORY.
6. Basic Dimensional Concepts.
The Dimensional Database Model
Terminology
A Potted History of Business Intelligence
Summary
7. Fact Tables.
The Structure of a Fact Table
The Characteristics of a Fact Attribute
Summary
8. Dimension Tables.
The Structure of a Dimension Table
Snowflaking
Changing Dimensions
Summary
III. DESIGNING DATABASE SYSTEMS.
9. The Design Process.
Life Cycle Models
The Database Design Process
A Note on Design Methodologies and Standards
10. Defining the System Parameters.
Determining the System Goals
Developing the Design Criteria
Determining the System Scope
Summary
11. Defining the Work Processes.
Determining Current Work Processes
Analyzing Work Processes
Documenting Work Processes
User Scenarios
Summary
12. The Conceptual Data Model.
Identifying the Data Objects
Defining Relationships
Reviewing Entities
Domain Analysis
Restricting the Range of Values
Normalization
Summary
13. The Database Schema.
Systems Architectures
Database Schema Components
Security
Summary
14. Communicating the Design.
Audience and Purpose
Document Structure
Executive Summary
System Overview
Work Processes
Conceptual Data Model
Database Schema
User Interface
Change Management
Summary
IV. DESIGNING THE USER INTERFACE.
15. The Interface as Mediator.
Effective Interfaces
Interface Models
User Levels
Putting Users in Charge
Minimizing the Memory Load
Being Consistent
Summary
16. User Interface Architectures.
Supporting the Work Processes
Document Architectures
Summary
17. Representing Entities in Form Design.
Simple Entities
One-to-One Relationships
One-to-Many Relationships
Hierarchies
Many-to-Many Relationships
Summary
18. Choosing Windows Controls.
Representing Logical Values
Representing Sets of Values
Representing Numbers and Dates
Representing Text Values
Summary
19. Maintaining Database Integrity.
Classes of Integrity Constraints
Intrinsic Constraints
Business Constraints
Summary
20. Reporting.
Sorting, Searching, and Filtering Data
Producing Standard Reports
Producing Ad Hoc Reports
Summary
21. User Assistance.
User Levels
Passive Assistance Mechanisms
Reactive Assistance Mechanisms
Proactive Assistance
User Training
Summary
Bibliography.
Glossary.
Index.
Index
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