Week 8: Readings

I admit to be over my head with the readings for this week. With my experience both very limited but extensive database records, nothing has prepared me for the readings for this week. The Greenspun online "book" "SQL for Nerds" is a combination of intelligible English and very detailed SQL language, and the W3Schools document is, typically for them, very technical with little bits of intelligible English. It's almost like I've never sat in front of a database before in my life.

Week 7: Muddiest Point

Having noted in last week's reading notes my experience with Microsoft Access, how does a Database Management System relate to individual database software? Does Access have its own DBMS? I realize that Access is not the fullest-functioning program, and I have limited Oracle experience. Can you expand on its function use, and choice of the DBMS?

Week 7 Readings

Beginning Relational Data Modeling

I have extensive experience setting up databases - particularly in Access (2400 books, 1300 cds, many other research tables) - and I've done some limited relational connections, but these chapters (2 & 3) are an excellent introduction to properly setting up relational databases and making the necessary connections between them. I already understood the majority of the terms in chapter 3, but the review and additional terms were very valuable.

An Introduction to Database Normalization and Fundamentals of Relational Database Design

These provided a succinct explanation (each) of what was covered in greater detail above, with a clear examples given.

More study of these issues would be helpful.

Week 5 Readings

Unfortunately, I was unable to read either of the two assigned readings, the first because there was no link to it, and the 19" of snow we received here in Pittsburgh prevented me from going in to Pitt to see if the library had it available.

The second reading had a link to it, but it leads nowhere, even with extensive searching on the Austrialian website university website.