Modern businesses depend on data for their very survival, creating a
need for sophisticated databases and database technologies to help
store, organise and transport their valuable data.
This easy-to-read textbook/reference presents a comprehensive
introduction to databases, opening with a concise history of databases
and of data as an organisational asset. As relational database
management systems are no longer the only database solution, the book
takes a wider view of database technology, encompassing big data, NoSQL,
object and object-relational, and in-memory databases. The text also
examines the issues of scalability, availability, performance and
security encountered when building and running a database in the real
world.
Topics and features: presents review and discussion questions at the end
of each chapter, in addition to skill-building, hands-on exercises;
introduces the fundamental concepts and technologies in database
systems, placing these in an historic context; describes the challenges
faced by database professionals; reviews the use of a variety of
database types in business environments; discusses areas for further
research within this fast-moving domain; suggests a structure for a
potential university course in the preface.
With its learning-by-doing approach, supported by both theoretical and
practical examples, this clearly-structured textbook will be of great
value to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of computer
science, software engineering, and information technology. Practising
database professionals and application developers will also find the
book an ideal reference that addresses today's business needs.
