DBMS: Simply In Depth

This textbook differs from others in its field by its emphasis on design and the formalization of the semantics that determine design decisions. While anyone who has read about databases will have encountered the various conceptual models, as relational, hierarchical, networks, entity-relationships, etc., they are typically placed in opposition of each other rather than in a continuum of implementations of semantics.

Similarly, the mathematical aspects of concepts such as functional dependencies are stressed without providing much interaction on their meaning. Once we have a formal understanding of how the structure of a database is related to the semantics of the stored information, then we can consider the transactions that are being performed as transformations of the represented knowledge.

The users are an integral component of such systems. The results they obtain are combinations of the stored data and the transactions they specify. Transactions that update the database incorporate such knowledge in the system and make it available to others.


Our approach in this book is to regard DBMS as a concept that readers will want to use as a primary tool in many different areas of their programming work - not just for creating applications.