Database Systems Concepts with Oracle CD

Rating:
Summary: Could have been a lot better if they put more effort
Review: providing more detail on certain very important topics like Tuple Relational Calculus and also spend a lot more time going into more detail of creating more complex queries. These are the topics I was really looking forward too. But that being said theres so much information in this book its defiintely worth the price. Also they could simplify the language a bit when talking about complex topics optimization techniques used by the engine and some aspects of file organization.

Rating:
Summary: Solid database book for computer folks
Review: This is the book I grab off of the shelf when I need to refresh my memory on database concepts. Do you need a background in programming? Absolutely. Can you learn from this book? Definitely. Is it a tough book? Yup. Databases are not for the tame...but if you want to learn, get yourself access to a database server and grab a copy of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Solid database book for computer folks
Review: This is the book I grab off of the shelf when I need to refresh my memory on database concepts. Do you need a background in programming? Absolutely. Can you learn from this book? Definitely. Is it a tough book? Yup. Databases are not for the tame...but if you want to learn, get yourself access to a database server and grab a copy of this book.

Rating:
Summary: All Theory Without Any Practicality
Review: This was the required book for the Databases class at the University of Utah Computer Science department. It is a good book if you want to learn the theory behind databases. If you want to actually learn about practical information then pickup "The Practical SQL Handbook" by Bowman and others. Also note that the E-R diagrams Silberschatz uses is not widely used. I found the book to be poorly written. Buy this book only if you need it for school.

Rating:
Summary: The best book available for truly understanding databases.
Review: Too many database books ignore the semantics, research and design that go into databases. This book covers everything from the basics to the complex. You will learn the different design methdologies behind databases as well as the history and research that has gone into this field. You will also learn how to design and debug database systems. The book is excellently laid out and assumes no prior database knowledge. It doesn't discuss specific database systems, but it does cover the different styles and query languages you will come across (QBE, SQL, etc.) This book allows you to come away with the knowledge and expertise necessary for database applications. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in any way with databases. No matter what your interest, you will not come away empty handed.

Rating:
Summary: Good only for presenting the concept.
Review: Too simplistic and way below computer science level. Good for an average user, who just wants to learn the concepts and theories but not going to actually create a database! It's all theories and theories and theories!
I sure know what a "primary key" is or what "relationships" are and how many kinds exist, etc, etc ... but it didn't really teach me how to create it. Just one or two vague examples, that's all.

Rating:
Summary: Rare classic book
Review: When I started teaching Database Concepts course, I used this book for my preparation. For me the content of the book was excellent and very informative. This book can be used along with the other DBMS books to understand the general architecture of DBMS, SQL, data modeling and relational theory. We cannot expect to see all the material we want to see from one book. We need to pickup the essential and good material from each book. This book has lot of good material for the people who want to understand relational database system.