Database Concepts / Edition 7

by David M. Kroenke, David J. Auer

Overview

In a simple, straightforward manner, this book covers the essential concepts for database processing. Technically accurate and readily understandable discussions are the result of the author's many years of experience in the field and writing about it. Chapter topics include the fundamentals of the relational model, structured query language (SQL), data modeling, database design, and database administration. For future business professionals—in accounting, finance, and production—who will develop personal databases or who will participate as a member of a team that is developing larger databases.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780133544626
Publisher:	Pearson
Publication date:	08/15/2014
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	528
Product dimensions:	10.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

David Kroenke has many years of teaching experience at Colorado State University, Seattle University, and the University of Washington. He has led dozens of seminars for college professors on the teaching of information systems and technology; in 1991, the International Association of Information Systems named him Computer Educator of the Year. In 2009, David was named Educator of the Year by the Association of Information Technology Professionals-Education Special Interest Group (AITP-EDSIG).

David worked for the US Air Force and Boeing Computer Services. He was a principal in the startup of three companies, serving as the vice president of product marketing and development for the Microrim Corporation and as chief of database technologies for Wall Data, Inc. He is the father of the semantic object data model. David’s consulting clients have included IBM^®, Microsoft^®, and Computer Sciences Corporations, as well as numerous smaller companies. Recently, David has focused on using information systems for teaching collaboration and teamwork.

His text Database Processing was first published in 1977 and is now in its 15th edition. He has authored and coauthored many other textbooks, including Database Concepts, 8th Edition (2017), Experiencing MIS, 8th Edition (2018), SharePoint for Students (2012), Office 365 in Business (2012), and Processes, Systems, and Information: An Introduction to MIS, 3rd Edition (2018).

David J. Auer is a senior instructor emeritus at the College of Business (CBE) of Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. He served as Director of Information Systems and Technology Services at CBE from 1994 to 2014 and taught in CBE’s Department of Decision Sciences from 1981 to 2015. Auer has taught CBE courses in quantitative methods, production and operations management, statistics, finance, and management information systems. Besides managing CBE’s computer, network, and other technology resources, he also teaches management information systems courses. He has taught the principles of management information systems and business database development courses, and he was responsible for developing CBE’s network infrastructure courses, including Computer Hardware and Operating Systems, Telecommunications, and Network Administration.

Auer has coauthored several MIS-related textbooks, including Database Processing: Fundamentals, Design, and Implementation, first published in 1977 and now in its 14th edition (coauthored with David Kroenke for the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th editions), and Database Concepts, now in its 9th edition (coauthored with David Kroenke for the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th editions). He holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Washington, and three degrees from Western Washington University — a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics, a master’s degree in economics, and a master’s degree in counseling psychology. He served as a commissioned officer in the US Air Force, and he has also worked as an organizational development specialist and therapist for an employee assistance program (EAP). Auer and his wife, Donna, live in Bellingham, Washington. He has two children and four grandchildren.

Scott L. Vandenberg has been on the Computer Science faculty at Siena College since 1993, where he regularly teaches three different database courses at several levels to both computer science and business majors. Prior to arriving at Siena, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in database systems at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. Since arriving at Siena, he has also taught graduate and undergraduate database courses at the University of Washington–Seattle. He has developed five different database courses over this time. His other teaching experience includes courses in introductory computer science, introductory programming, data structures, and management information systems, as well as three years teaching Siena’s required interdisciplinary freshman writing course.

Vandenberg’s recent research publications are mainly in the areas of computer science education and data science applications, with earlier work on query optimization and algebraic query languages. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from Cornell University and a master’s degree and a PhD in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Medieval history and playing hockey are two things that can tear him away from a database. Vandenberg lives in Averill Park, NY, with his wife, Kristin, and two children.

Robert C. Yoder began his professional career at the University at Albany as a systems programmer managing mainframes and Unix servers. He has two years of research experience working on 3-D solid modeling systems. Robert holds BS and MS degrees in computer science and a PhD in information science, all from the University at Albany. Yoder joined the Computer Science department at Siena College in 2001 and teaches business database, management information systems, geographic information systems, data structures, networks, and operating systems courses. Yoder lives in Niskayuna, NY, with his wife, Diane, and two children, and enjoys traveling, hiking, and walking his dog.

Table of Contents

I. DATABASE FUNDAMENTALS.

1. Getting Started.
2. The Relational Model.
3. Structured Query Language (SQL).

II. DATABASE DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT.

4. Data Modeling and the Entity-Relationship Model.
5. Database Design.
6. Database Administration.
Appendix: Microsoft Access.

Preface

Colin Johnson is a production supervisor for a small manufacturer in Seattle. Several years ago Colin wanted to build a database to keep track of components in product packages. At the time he was using a spreadsheet to perform this task, but he could not get the reports that he needed from the spreadsheet. Colin had heard about Microsoft Access, and he tried to use it to solve his problem. After several days of frustration, he bought several popular Access books and attempted to learn from them. Ultimately, he gave up and hired a consultant who built an application that more or less met Colin's needs. Over time Colin wanted to change his application, but he did not dare try.

Colin was a successful businessperson who was highly motivated to achieve his goals. A seasoned Windows user, he had been able to teach himself how to use Excel, PowerPoint, and a number of production-oriented application packages. He was flummoxed at his inability to use Access to solve his problem. "I'm sure I could do it, but I just don't have any more time to invest." This story is even more remarkable because it has occurred tens of thousands of times over the last decade.

Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, and other database management system (DBMS) vendors are aware of such scenarios and have invested millions of dollars in creating better graphical interfaces, hundreds of multi-panel wizards, and many sample applications. Unfortunately such efforts treat the symptom and not the cause. In fact, most users have no clear idea of what wizards are doing on their behalf. As soon as these users require changes to database structure or to components such as forms and queries,they drown in a sea of complexity for which they are unprepared. With little understanding of the underlying fundamentals, these users grab at any straw that appears to lead in the direction they want. The consequence is poorly designed databases and applications that fail to meet the users' requirements.

Why can people like Colin learn a word processor or a spreadsheet product, yet fail when trying to learn to use a DBMS product? For one, the underlying database concepts are unnatural to most people. Whereas everyone knows what paragraphs and margins are, no one knows what a relation is. Also, it seems like using a DBMS product ought to be easier than it is. "All I want to do is keep track of something. Why is it so hard?" Without knowledge of the relational model, breaking a sales invoice into five separate tables before storing the data is mystifying to business users.

The Need for Essential Concepts

The truth is that with today's technology it is impossible to successfully utilize a DBMS without learning fundamental concepts. After years of developing databases with business users, I believe that the following database concepts are essential:

• Fundamentals of the relational model
• Structured Query Language (SQL)
• Data modeling
• Database design
• Database administration

Users like Colin—and students who will accept jobs similar to his—need not learn these topics to the same depth as do future information systems professionals. Consequently, this textbook presents only essential concepts—those that are necessary for users like Colin to create and use small databases. I have rewritten, simplified, and omitted topics that you will find in my in-depth book on the subject, Database Processing. In this process, however, I have endeavored to ensure that the discussions remain accurate and do not mislead. There is nothing here that students will need to unlearn if they take more advanced database courses.

Teaching Concepts Independent of DBMS Products

This book does not assume that any particular DBMS product will be used by students. Access is introduced in the Appendix, but all of the concepts are presented in a DBMS-agnostic manner. When learned this way, students come to understand that the fundamentals pertain to any database—from the smallest Access database to the largest Oracle or DB2 database.

Moreover, this approach avoids a common pitfall. When concepts and products are taught at the same time, students frequently confound concepts with product features and functions. For example, consider referential integrity constraints. When taught from a conceptual standpoint, students learn that there are times when the values of a column in one table must always be present as values of a column in a second table. Students will also learn how this constraint arises in the context of relationship definition and how either the DBMS or the application must enforce this constraint. If taught in the context of a DBMS—say in the context of Access—students will only learn that in some cases you check a check box, and in other cases you don't. There is a danger that the underlying concept will be lost in the product feature.

All of this is not to say, however, that a DBMS should not be used in this class. On the contrary, students can best master these concepts by applying them using a commercial DBMS product. This book was written assuming that you will use a second book or other materials to teach the features and functions of the DBMS that you select for your class. Prentice-Hall provides a number of companion workbooks for Microsoft Access 2002 that may be packaged with this text. These include Essentials: Access 2002, Level 1, by Dawn Parrish Wood; Exploring Microsoft Access 2002, Comprehensive, by Robert Grauer and Mary Ann Barber; Learn Access 2002, Volume 1, by John Preston, Sally Preston, and Robert Ferrett; and Select: Microsoft Access 2002, Volume 1, by Pamela R. Toliver.

Review Questions, Exercises, and Projects

Because it is so important for students to apply the concepts that they learn, each chapter is concluded with sets of review questions, exercises, and two projects that run throughout the book. Students should be able to answer the review questions if they have read and understood the chapter material. The exercises require the students to apply the chapter concepts to a small problem or task.

The first of the projects, Garden Glory, concerns the development and use of a database for a partnership that provides gardening and yard maintenance services to individuals and organizations. The second project, James River jewelry addresses the need for a database to support a frequent buyer program for a retail store. Both of these projects appear in all of the book's chapters and the Appendix. In each instance, students are asked to apply concepts from the chapter to the project. Instructors will find more information on the use of these projects in the instructor's manual and can obtain databases and data from the instructor's portion of our Web site.

Book Overview

This textbook consists of six chapters and an appendix. The purpose of Chapter 1 is to explain why databases are used, what their components are, and how they are developed. Students will learn the purpose of databases and their applications and how databases differ from and improve on keeping lists in spreadsheets. Chapter 2 introduces the relational model and defines basic relational terminology. It also introduces the fundamental ideas that underlie normalization and sets the stage for further discussion of this important topic in Chapter 5.

Chapter 3 presents fundamental SQL statements. Basic SQL statements for data definition are described, as are SQL SELECT and data modification statements. No attempt is made to present advanced SQL statements; only the essential statements are described.

The next three chapters consider database design and management. Chapter 4 addresses data modeling using the entity-relationship (E-R) model. The need for data modeling is described, basic E-R terms and concepts are introduced, and a short case application of E-R modeling is presented. Chapter 5 describes database design and explains the essentials of normalization. The data model from the case example in Chapter 4 is transformed into a relational design in Chapter 5.

Finally in Chapter 6 database administration is discussed. This chapter describes the need for database administration and surveys concurrency control, security, and backup and recovery techniques. I believe this topic is important for all databases, even for personal, single-user databases. In fact, in some ways this topic is more important for such databases because there will be no professional database administrator to ensure that critical tasks are performed.

Finally Microsoft Access is introduced in the Appendix. This brief introduction can be used in conjunction with Access documentation to help students create simple databases and application components.

Editorial Reviews

This textbook introduces the basic concepts of creating and using a small database, without focusing on a specific software package. The author describes the relational model, essential SQL statements for data definition and modification, the entity-relationship data model, the conversion of entity-relationship models into relational designs, and the major tasks of database administration. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)