Reviews for Relational Database Design Clearly Explained

1. Strikes the right balance between theory and practice.

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, June 12st, 2001

   Having had a nightmare of a time learning relational databases with my course text, this came as a massive relief. It strikes a good balance between the theory (Normalisation, Relationships, integrity) and practical advice, with the 3 case studies at the end being particularly useful when you actually want to implement something. I particularly recommend this if you don't understand what your lecturer is on about!!

2. This is 'Cleary Explained' ?

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, July 12th, 2000

   The author falls into that all too common band of technical writers who clearly know their subject but have huge difficulty communicating them to people new to the topic. The book certainly did not explain relational database design clearly and left me thinking that the subject is harder than ever.

   My main complaint against this book is that it did not make the effort to explain the fundamentals clearly enough. These were *fundamentals* of relational database design, the foundations upon which a beginner's understanding of the subject would be built so, in light of this, would a few diagrams be too much to ask? "Yes" it would appear. There were no diagrams when a diagram would have certainly helped; definitions were cumbersome and the few examples that were offered were ambiguous and inadequate. Shaky grounds to try and build one's entire understanding upon.

   That no one bothered to proof-read the book is also painfully obvious: a one-to-many relationship was immediately introduced as a many-to-many, described as a one-to-many, went back to a many-to-many (whilst the definition was still one-to-many) and ended back as a one-to-many - p.24-25. (Now you know how confused I was). If a book that purports to explain relational databases clearly cannot even define such a fundamental concept accurately, how good can it really be?

   This book has really dented my confidence to ever master relational databases.

3. full of typos sloppily written not proof read

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, February 12th, 2000

   This is a review of the Morgan Kaufmann Edition same ISBN, same title, different cover

   a fairly good book totally let down by bad editing. So many typos it's ridiculous. Wait for a second edition.

   A lot of it appears to be cut and paste and then overtyped.but not all words replaced Prime examples are the sections on one-to-many relationships which goes on about many-to-many relationships (when it does mean one-to-many) the section on Some of the examples used in the book are badly chosen I disagree with the 'clearly explained' part of the title as the errors lead to confusion.

4. Very good, but only for beginners.

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, May 12th, 1999

   Very good, but only for beginners who need to understand the basics of databases, database modeling, normal forms and so on. Introductory level. The three study cases are interesting, but not as good as possible. The database models are not developed "with" the reader but already done and briefly analized.

5. Wonderful Explanations, Reference

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 1999

   This is a book that I wish all were like: Well written, helpful examples, good explanations, excellent coverage, and above all completly lucid and clear.

   Harrington gives a great account of relational databases and practical rationales for their designs. She really does begin at the beginning go until the end and stop-- which is much more than what I'll say for most other books on database design.

   Lives up to the title and then some! Bravo!!