Reviews for Fundamentals of Database Systems: International Version

1. Textbook - OK but dull and not always practical.

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, December 12th, 2005

   Some useful information but poor presentation and a dull read.
   Basically just another database textbook with nothing in particular to recommend it. Quite a lot of information about doing strange mathematical things with fuctional dependencies - academically justifiable activities but of dubious real job utility. Finally it's just too expensive.

   Unless this is required reading on your course I'd leave well enough alone.

2. hard going as student text book

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, February 12th, 2005

   Though this contains a good overview of database systems it is an extreamly complex and hard-to-read book. I studied 3 modules of learning about database systems while I was at university and the lecturer for every single one recommended this book.

   If your looking for a book with a lot of clear diagrams and information on databases thats straight-to-the-point this isn't the book for you. A much better introduction to databases is "Database Systems: A Practical Approach to Design, Implementation and Management (International Computer Science S.)
   Carolyn Begg, Thomas Connolly".

   Whenever I read any part of this book it would make me more confused about the topic than I was already. If your a student and your considering buying this book I would definatly recommend getting it out your library first and seeing if you like the writing style before spending all that money on it.

3. A must if you want to design a database

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, October 12th, 2000

   A very nice book, clear and with nice examples. It's not so simple but gives you the basic and advanced concepts that a person need to design and implement a database. It is easyier to learn and understand the book if you implement the database after yo've designed it.

4. A lot of knowledge, but sometimes to abstract

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, February 12th, 1999

   As a student just started studying computer science, and knowing nothing about relational databases, I think that the author use to much mathematics to explain simple relations between tables and records and fields in a table.

   I would not recommend it to a total newcomer to relational databases. The author should have focused more on making the concepts easier to grasp for the students. In my opinion there are to much university school book theory, and to little focus on providing the reader with down-to-earth tools, to make it more suitable as a working tool in the real life.

   However after a more down-to-earth introduction with a book as, for instance, Database Design for Mere Mortals by Hernandez (doesn't include SQL though), I would certainly recommend it.

5. For newbee's a very fundamentaly sound book

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12rd, 1999

   For the beginers a very good book. It gives a high level database architecture of relational database. Good examples to follow the book.