Database Design for Mere Mortals(R): A Hands-On Guide to ... (ISBN 0201752840)

Amazon.com Review:
Programmers and software architects don't really make a conscious decision to design an application (particularly one with online exposure) around the three-tier model-view-controller design pattern anymore. Three-tier, largely because of its adaptability and stability, is the norm. All of which means you need a database to underpin each of your applications. Designing your databases correctly can make the difference between slow-running, complicated code and software that's speedy, modular, and easy to work with. Database Design for Mere Mortals prepares someone with only a passing familiarity with databases for the important job of building the persistence layer (also called the data model) for software. Michael Hernandez explains database design in tradesman's terms. That is, he shows his readers how to identify the business problems that have to be satisfied by a database, then proceeds to explain how to build a solid solution to them. Hernandez's approach combines procedural guidelines (first identify critical facts, then apply a certain logic to yield tables, then establish cross-references, and so on) with practical definitions that clear up much of the rich trove of jargon surrounding databases. He walks through numerous examples, and doesn't shy away from the complexities that always exist in real customers' requirements. If you're not familiar with database design, and want to be, this is the book you need. --David Wall Topics covered: How to design databases that fit business requirements and make software construction easier. In addition to explaining relational database concepts, the author explains data integrity, null values, keys, table relationships (one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many), and data types. He emphasizes processes designers should follow in building a new database or improving an existing one.

One of the best database design books out there!:
This is one of the best database books I own. The author does a good job of explaining the basics and he guides you through the entire design process. Some chapters may be wordy for some people, but the author is trying to target everyone from novice to advanced user so this isn't surprising. I have been a database user for years and already understood many database concepts, but this book fills in the gaps of what I didn't know. I recommend this book for anyone who needs to design or support database applications. It's a great book!

Great Book- Simple and Easy to Understand:
Great Book. Simple and Easy to Understand. Reads as if Mike Hernandez is talking directly to you. There is no way that you would not have basic skills to design a relational database after having read this book. I would highly suggest this book for people looking to develop or manage already created databases in MS Access or any other rdbms applications. This is definitely a great reference book to have on the shelf. Relational database design is very understandable and well explained by this book.

Excellent Reading:
This is an excellent book for the average person who wants to know more about database design. The author has an excellent way of explaining the not so obvious and bringing it down to layman's terms. Great learning tool.

Database Design for Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Relational Database Design, Second Edition:
This is a great book for anyone who wants to understand relational databases without becoming a programmer. Simply learning the vocabulary has improved my interactions with our programmers.

Data Design for Mere Mortals:
This is a textbook for a database design class I'm taking, and so far I'm finding it easy to follow and understand. It's written in every-day language, which is a huge help for us non-geeks. I'd recommend it. Pat