Re: Beginners' Book Recommendations

In <armen-2801960511090001_at_hingham23.pcix.com> armen_at_pcix.com (Armen Yampolsky) writes:
>
>Hello,
>
>I'm interested in learning the basics of RDBMS and SQL, but I'm a
 total
>newbie in this field. Could anyone offer recommendations on good books
>with which to start?
>
>TIA,
>-Armen

I recommend two books, because you are looking for two different things:

1. For SQL, try a book called "Understanding SQL" by Martin Gruber. It is available in the big bookstores. I don't know the publisher or the ISBN. It has a lot of examples, and starts slow, but finishes with pretty complete treatment. Consider getting a little database engine like the single user version of Watcom (now Sybase SQL anywhere) so that you can actually do the exercises in the book.
2. For database design, the standard book to which I refer nearly everyone is "Conceptual Schema and Relational Database Design" 2nd edition, by Terry Halpin. Published by Prentice Hall Australia, ISBN 0-13-355702-2. This is a fantastic book. It outlines a design method called ORM (Object Role Modeling) that is based on modeling business facts, not tables and columns. It has a lot of examples, and starts out pretty easy and progresses from their. This book will teach you how to properly turn an analysis into a conceptual database design. It is not a book about SQL. It is crucial to understand good design if your apps are going to work efficiently. You can get the book from most major booksellers, or you can get it directly from Asymetrix (800)448-6543, because they make a software tool based on ORM.

Thanks,

Bill MacLean Received on Mon Jan 29 1996 - 00:00:00 CET