A timely survey of the field from the point of view of some of the subject's most active researchers. Divided into several parts organized by theme, the book first covers the underlying methodology regarding active rules, followed by formal specification, rule analysis, performance analysis, and support tools. It then moves on to the implementation of active rules in a number of commercial systems, before concluding with applications and future directions for research. All researchers in databases will find this a valuable overview of the topic.

SQL in a Nutshell applies the eminently useful "Nutshell" format to Structured Query Language (SQL), the elegant--but complex--descriptive language that is used to create and manipulate large stores of data. For SQL programmers, analysts, and database administrators, the new second edition of SQL in a Nutshell is the essential date language reference for the world's top SQL database products. SQL in a Nutshell is a lean, focused, and thoroughly comprehensive reference for those who live in a deadline-driven world.This invaluable desktop quick reference drills down and documents every SQL command and how to use it in both commercial (Oracle, DB2, and Microsoft SQL Server) and open source implementations (PostgreSQL, and MySQL). It describes every command and reference and includes the command syntax (by vendor, if the syntax differs across implementations), a clear description, and practical examples that illustrate important concepts and uses. And it also explains how the leading commercial and open sources database product implement SQL. This wealth of information is packed into a succinct, comprehensive, and extraordinarily easy-to-use format that covers the SQL syntax of no less than 4 different databases.When you need fast, accurate, detailed, and up-to-date SQL information, SQL in a Nutshell, Second Edition will be the quick reference you'll reach for every time. SQL in a Nutshell is small enough to keep by your keyboard, and concise (as well as clearly organized) enough that you can look up the syntax you need quickly without having to wade through a lot of useless fluff. You won't want to work on a project involving SQL without it.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Rules in Database Systems, RIDS '95, held in Athens, Greece, in September 1995. The book presents 22 revised full papers selected during a very careful reviewing process from a total of 47 submissions. In addition, there is a detailed invited introduction for a panel discussion on the Active Database Management Systems Manifesto. The papers are organized in sections on semantics for database systems, active behavior, rule base organization and modeling, rule analysis, deductive databases, implementation and benchmarking of active database systems, and cooperative systems support.

Active database systems enhance traditional database functionality with powerful rule-processing capabilities, providing a uniform and efficient mechanism for many database system applications. Among these applications are integrity constraints, views, authorization, statistics gathering, monitoring and alerting, knowledge-based systems, expert systems, and workflow management. This significant collection focuses on the most prominent research projects in active database systems. The project leaders for each prototype system provide detailed discussions of their projects and the relevance of their results to the future of active database systems. Features: A broad overview of current active database systems and how they can be extended and improved A comprehensive introduction to the core topics of the field, including its motivation and history Coverage of active database (trigger) capabilities in commercial products Discussion of forthcoming standards

This book constitutes the strictly refereed post-workshop proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Rules in Database Systems, RIDS '97, held in Skövde, June 1997. The 13 revised papers presented in the book were carefully reviewed and selected from 33 submissions. The book documents the state-of-the art in the area. The papers are devoted to deductive databases, active database systems architectures, events in workflow management, rule modelling and simulation, rule confluence, rule termination analysis, rule testing and validation, active database systems design.

This book is the proceedings of a workshop held at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh in August 1993. The central theme of the workshop was rules in database systems, and the papers presented covered a range of different aspects of database rule systems. These aspects are reflected in the sessions of the workshop, which are the same as the sections in this proceedings: Active Databases Architectures Incorporating Temporal Rules Rules and Transactions Analysis and Debugging of Active Rules Integrating Graphs/Objects with Deduction Integrating Deductive and Active Rules Integrity Constraints Deductive Databases The incorporation of rules into database systems is an important area of research, as it is a major component in the integration of behavioural information with the structural data with which commercial databases have traditionally been associated. This integration of the behavioural aspects of an application with the data to which it applies in database systems leads to more straightforward application development and more efficient processing of data. Many novel applications seem to need database systems in which structural and behavioural information are fully integrated. Rules are only one means of expressing behavioural information, but it is clear that different types of rule can be used to capture directly different properties of an application which are cumbersome to support using conventional database architectures. In recent years there has been a surge of research activity focusing upon active database systems, and this volume opens with a collection of papers devoted specifically to this topic.

"This book takes the somewhat daunting process of database design and breaks it into completely manageable and understandable components. Mike's approach whilst simple is completely professional, and I can recommend this book to any novice database designer." --Sandra Barker, Lecturer, University of South Australia, Australia "Databases are a critical infrastructure technology for information systems and today's business. Mike Hernandez has written a literate explanation of database technology--a topic that is intricate and often obscure. If you design databases yourself, this book will educate you about pitfalls and show you what to do. If you purchase products that use a database, the book explains the technology so that you can understand what the vendor is doing and assess their products better." --Michael Blaha, consultant and trainer, author of A Manager's Guide to Database Technology "If you told me that Mike Hernandez could improve on the first edition of Database Design for Mere Mortals I wouldn't have believed you, but he did! The second edition is packed with more real-world examples, detailed explanations, and even includes database-design tools on the CD-ROM! This is a must-read for anyone who is even remotely interested in relational database design, from the individual who is called upon occasionally to create a useful tool at work, to the seasoned professional who wants to brush up on the fundamentals. Simply put, if you want to do it right, read this book!" --Matt Greer, Process Control Development, The Dow Chemical Company "Mike's approach to database design is totally common-sense based, yet he's adhered to all the rules of good relational database design. I use Mike's books in my starter database-design class, and I recommend his books to anyone who's interested in learning how to design databases or how to write SQL queries." --Michelle Poolet, President, MVDS, Inc. "Slapping together sophisticated applications with poorly designed data will hurt you just as much now as when Mike wrote his first edition, perhaps even more. Whether you're just getting started developing with data or are a seasoned pro; whether you've read Mike's previous book or this is your first; whether you're happier letting someone else design your data or you love doing it yourself--this is the book for you. Mike's ability to explain these concepts in a way that's not only clear, but fun, continues to amaze me." --From the Foreword by Ken Getz, MCW Technologies, coauthor ASP.NET Developer's JumpStart "The first edition of Mike Hernandez's book Database Design for Mere Mortals was one of the few books that survived the cut when I moved my office to smaller quarters. The second edition expands and improves on the original in so many ways. It is not only a good, clear read, but contains a remarkable quantity of clear, concise thinking on a very complex subject. It's a must for anyone interested in the subject of database design." --Malcolm C. Rubel, Performance Dynamics Associates "Mike's excellent guide to relational database design deserves a second edition. His book is an essential tool for fledgling Microsoft Access and other desktop database developers, as well as for client/server pros. I recommend it highly to all my readers." --Roger Jennings, author of Special Edition Using Access 2002 "There are no silver bullets! Database technology has advanced dramatically, the newest crop of database servers perform operations faster than anyone could have imagined six years ago, but none of these technological advances will help fix a bad database design, or capture data that you forgot to include! Database Design for Mere Mortals(TM), Second Edition, helps you design your database right in the first place!" --Matt Nunn, Product Manager, SQL Server, Microsoft Corporation "When my brother started his professional career as a developer, I gave him Mike's book to help him understand database concepts and make real-world application of database technology. When I need a refresher on the finer points of database design, this is the book I pick up. I do not think that there is a better testimony to the value of a book than that it gets used. For this reason I have wholeheartedly recommended to my peers and students that they utilize this book in their day-to-day development tasks." --Chris Kunicki, Senior Consultant, OfficeZealot.com "Mike has always had an incredible knack for taking the most complex topics, breaking them down, and explaining them so that anyone can 'get it.' He has honed and polished his first very, very good edition and made it even better. If you're just starting out building database applications, this book is a must-read cover to cover. Expert designers will find Mike's approach fresh and enlightening and a source of great material for training others." --John Viescas, President, Viescas Consulting, Inc., author of Running Microsoft Access 2000 and coauthor of SQL Queries for Mere Mortals "Whether you need to learn about relational database design in general, design a relational database, understand relational database terminology, or learn best practices for implementing a relational database, Database Design for Mere Mortals(TM), Second Edition, is an indispensable book that you'll refer to often. With his many years of real-world experience designing relational databases, Michael shows you how to analyze and improve existing databases, implement keys, define table relationships and business rules, and create data views, resulting in data integrity, uniform access to data, and reduced data-entry errors." --Paul Cornell, Site Editor, MSDN Office Developer Center Sound database design can save hours of development time and ensure functionality and reliability. Database Design for Mere Mortals(TM), Second Edition, is a straightforward, platform-independent tutorial on the basic principles of relational database design. It provides a commonsense design methodology for developing databases that work. Database design expert Michael J. Hernandez has expanded his best-selling first edition, maintaining its hands-on approach and accessibility while updating its coverage and including even more examples and illustrations. This edition features a CD-ROM that includes diagrams of sample databases, as well as design guidelines, documentation forms, and examples of the database design process. This book will give you the knowledge and tools you need to create efficient and effective relational databases.

Covers the important requirements of teaching databases with a modular and progressive perspective. This book can be used for a full course (or pair of courses), but its first half can be profitably used for a shorter course.

The latest edition of a popular text and reference on database research, with substantial new material and revision; covers classical literature and recent hot topics. Lessons from database research have been applied in academic fields ranging from bioinformatics to next-generation Internet architecture and in industrial uses including Web-based e-commerce and search engines. The core ideas in the field have become increasingly influential. This text provides both students and professionals with a grounding in database research and a technical context for understanding recent innovations in the field. The readings included treat the most important issues in the database area--the basic material for any DBMS professional. This fourth edition has been substantially updated and revised, with 21 of the 48 papers new to the edition, four of them published for the first time. Many of the sections have been newly organized, and each section includes a new or substantially revised introduction that discusses the context, motivation, and controversies in a particular area, placing it in the broader perspective of database research. Two introductory articles, never before published, provide an organized, current introduction to basic knowledge of the field; one discusses the history of data models and query languages and the other offers an architectural overview of a database system. The remaining articles range from the classical literature on database research to treatments of current hot topics, including a paper on search engine architecture and a paper on application servers, both written expressly for this edition. The result is a collection of papers that are seminal and also accessible to a reader who has a basic familiarity with database systems.

Database Systems: A Pragmatic Approach is a classroom textbook for use by students who are learning about relational databases, and the professors who teach them. It discusses the database as an essential component of a software system, as well as a valuable, mission critical corporate resource. The book is based on lecture notes that have been tested and proven over several years, with outstanding results. It also exemplifies mastery of the technique of combining and balancing theory with practice, to give students their best chance at success. Upholding his aim for brevity, comprehensive coverage, and relevance, author Elvis C. Foster's practical and methodical discussion style gets straight to the salient issues, and avoids unnecessary fluff as well as an overkill of theoretical calculations. The book discusses concepts, principles, design, implementation, and management issues of databases. Each chapter is organized systematically into brief, reader-friendly sections, with itemization of the important points to be remembered. It adopts a methodical and pragmatic approach to solving database systems problems. Diagrams and illustrations also sum up the salient points to enhance learning. Additionally, the book includes a number of Foster's original methodologies that add clarity and creativity to the database modeling and design experience while making a novel contribution to the discipline. Everything combines to make Database Systems: A Pragmatic Approach an excellent textbook for students, and an excellent resource on theory for the practitioner.