Databases Books

I am just buying this book today. So why am I writing a review? Because everything said about Chris Date by Data Guy is absolutely right on. I too have all of his previous books, including his gold standard text book on database systems and his previous "Writings" books. Reading CJ Date is why I learned to love database. He's brilliant, and his logic really is a beautiful thing to read. There is no t uncrossed, no i undotted. One of my favorite writings and one I recommend to everyone is called "A Table Without Columns". We all get that you can have a table without rows. But when you understand that we can have a table without columns, and why, you begin to understand the brilliance of the relational model.

I agree with Data Guy - buy all of his Writings books especially. They are self-contained and every one you read will give you a better and deeper understanding of the relational model. And yes, it does matter in real life. Just think about the myriad failed or limping applications that exist because people so readily dismiss these important principles.

Chris Date's new book is essentially the best of Chris Date's recent musings on database management and the relational model. The book anthologizes Date's prodigious output over the past seven years.

Anyone who is working with database systems ought to be familiar with the work of Chris Date. He is an independent author, lecturer, researcher, and consultant specializing in relational database technology. His outstanding book, An Introduction to Database Systems, is a standard in the field and is used by many universities to teach database management. His impact on the field has been profound.

Anyway, this book is a treasure. The book gallantly gallops from subject to subject covering many pertinent issues related to databases and DBMS implementation. The book tackles subjects both familiar and not-so-familiar in an authoritative and easy to read manner. If you think you completely understand SQL you owe it to yourself to read the chapters on SQL and relational misconceptions.

Yes, some of this material can be found for free on the web. But not all of it. And, even if all of it was freely available I would still want to own the book to have it readily available, all in one place.

This book is basically the latest in a series of books that Date has written like this for Addison-Wesley under the title Relational Database Writings. Date has moved to a new publisher (and a new title), but the content is as vital as ever. I own all of his previous titles and I heartily recommend this new one, too. If you work with databases, Date on Database will surely enlighten, entertain and educate you. You owe it to yourself and your career to read this book, as well as Chris Date's many other books.

Review for DB2 9 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration: Certification Study Guide

This is the best book for preparing for Exam 731. I have used Roger Sanders' books in the past (viz. for v8 exams - 700 and 701). This book, like the other ones, is lucidly written and easy to understand. Also, since this is an exam preparation book; he has sample questions after every chapter. There is a 150 question set at the end of the book for practice that goes through all the main concepts (with answers too !!). If you preparing to get DB2 v9, buy this. (Also, for reference purposes you can check this out: Understanding DB2(R): Learning Visually with Examples (2nd Edition) )

I just received the book & started through it and already know it will be a great resource. Thanks!

This book features all the information you need to complete the certification exams together with your experience and a DB2 copy.
Many people that I know read and study this book, and on the day before the exams read the DevelopeWorks' tutorial as flash cards..
This book together with a free DB2 copy (DB2 Express-C) are what you need to pass the exams.

If you are not interested in the certification, this book is still for you if you need a great reference book or complete guide for DBAs.

If you are a self made DBA may be astonhised/surprised after you read the book, because of some many new details or best practices you will find.

If you are a total beginner, pick this book together with the Understanding DB2: Learning Visually with Examples and you are all set to go.

Excellent Book!!! This is comprehensive book of DB2 9 it was written using a easy language with examples and pictures.

Come on guys - it's authored by Susan and Dan - of course it's brilliant.
Very well structured. Covers all major topics, giving the most important key information. And despite the complexity of DB2 these days - the book is very, very easy to read.

This is an excellent book to get ready for the exam. I am just starting to go through it and already know it is a great resource. Thanks!

I read this book in the bus in my way to work and just this reading gave me every thing I need to know as a developer. Topics covered are programming, interface with CICS, create db2 objects, understanding Explain.
Thanks to the authers

I feel that Mr. Ranade has done a great job by writing such a reader friendly book but i feel that a topic that needs a little bit more evaluation is the Field proc and the edit proc and how they can be applied on a table so that it facilitates the sorting of data according tothe user needs.

This is a very comprehensive book that covers all the aspects of DivX creation including info that you will find no where else or information that is less understandable else where. As the other reviewer said, all the programs are available free on the internet. I have successfully created DivX projects from the info in this book (before the book I couldn't). The book also contains info on making your computer into a home PVR (video recorder) to record programs like a TiVo. Great Book.

This book surpasses anything out on the subject.The software mentioned is on the web (free). The book is really underpriced.

Check it out yourself.

Also purchased Video CD, Data Becker other book.

Since I am member of Anatolian Sailing Club, I am requested to prepare a training document for communication at sea. I liked to give an historical reference to each communication technique used at sea today, and I purchased this book from Amazon. I noticed that the content is very useful in giving all historical background of telecommunication tools.

I really recommend this book to all readers dealing with the history of telecommunications.

Most of us would consider the emergence of large-scale communication networks to be a twentieth-century phenomenon. The first true nationwide data networks, however, were being built almost two hundred years ago. At the turn of the 18th century, well before the electromagnetic telegraph was invented, many countries in Europe already had fully operational data communications systems, with alltogether close to one thousand network stations. This book documents the many attempts throughout history to develop effective means for long distance communications. The oldest attempts date back to millenia before Christ, and include an ingenious uses of homing pigeons, mirrors, flags, torches, and beacons. The book then shows how Claude Chappe, a French clergyman, started the information revolution in 1794, with the design and construction of the first true telegraph network in France. Included is also the first complete English translation of a remarkable document on the design of optical telegraphs that was written in 1796 by the Swedish nobleman Abraham Niclas Edelcrantz, the builder of the Swedish optical telegraph network.

I found this book from a bibliographic reference while reading "XML for Data Architects" by the same author. The "E-Commerce" part of the title threw me a bit, but after reading through the book I was amazed. This book contains a tremendous amount of strategy, approach, technique, and supporting reference for those who are involved with design and development of international technology. Even more valuable to me were the numerous international, national and industry data standards resources. After having given it a solid read, I am impressed. Cheers !

Excellent choice for the transition of broadening business network capapbilities! This is the 2nd book I have purchased and utilized from this author. This is a must have, and not a shelf space waster. Worth more than 40 bucks for the sales recruitment ability it created for my small company.

I am a network administrator, and this was an excellent book to get all the details on the Ethernet 802.3 standard. Makes the RFC make sense...

A Quick Reference Guide to the Official Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) Configuration Rules

The world of mathematical analysis is changing, and for the people involved, doing so at ever younger ages. As a Physics teacher, much of the mathematical modeling or problem solving strategies that come first to a student is something that I might say as a "brute force" method. While not an elegant method sometimes, the computer in general, or graphing calculators in particular are able to handle the demands of a student's "brute force" method of problem attack.

While the elegance of some mathematics takes considerable practice, and perhaps intuition, it has been this feature that has kept many people from the "hard sciences", and engineering. Or, so I would suggest having taught both in secondary and post-secondary. Technology has changed all of this, but it would seem that the full impact of this will take some time to be felt by everyone.

This book sees to much of the analysis possible with the Excel spreadsheet. There are enormous sections that are easily understood by High School students, and with a little coaching can be used to work with experimental data. The laboratory work that many students are able to produce is of exceptional quality, and gratifying to experience.

On the flip side of this same coin is the ability of teachers to quickly check results, and look at the quality of data used.

Material is easily understood, and with functions explained in layperson terminology, the book accomplishes not simply the how, but the why as well. I would recommend that this book is purchased by anyone who can help students learn how to use a spreadsheet.

Currently, I am considering the other Excel spreadsheet books on closely allied areas, and hope that they are as well written, and organized as this book.

I've been using Excel for years, but I've always been frustrated by the more advanced stuff in Excel. Things like pivot tables and pivot charts, or the super-powerful but mega-confusing VLOOKUP function. Sometimes I'd get lucky and figure out how to get one of these things to work, but most times I'd have to ask a co-worker to figure it out for me.

Now, I'm starting to be the guy that folks are coming to for help with advanced Excel stuff. This book is fantastic, and for the first time I'm starting to really use Excel for something more advanced than the Sum button!

Here's the table of contents from my copy of the book. Some of the chapters might sound intimidating, but believe me, this book is fun and easy to read:

Part I: Where's the Beef?

Chapter 1: Introducing Excel Lists.

Chapter 2: Grabbing Data from External Sources.

Chapter 3: Scrub-a-Dub-Dub: Cleaning Data.

Part II: PivotTables and PivotCharts.

Chapter 4: Working with PivotTables.

Chapter 5: Building PivotTable Formulas.

Chapter 6: Working with PivotCharts.

Chapter 7: Customizing PivotCharts.

Part III: Advanced Tools.

Chapter 8: Using the Database Functions.

Chapter 9: Using the Statistics Functions.

Chapter 10: Descriptive Statistics.

Chapter 11: Inferential Statistics.

Chapter 12: Optimization Modeling with Solver.

Part IV: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 13: Almost Ten Things You Ought to Know about Statistics.

Chapter 14: Almost Ten Tips for Presenting List Results and Analyzing Data.

Chapter 15: Ten Tips for Visually Analyzing and Presenting Data.

Part V: Appendix.

Appendix: Glossary of Data Analysis and Excel Terms.