The Entity-Relationship model is used to introduce the reader to the basic database concepts. Core material pertaining to the relational database model is covered at length, including query and update languages, integrity constraints and views. Extensive treatment is given to relational database design, which incorporates Entity-Relationship data modelling. Two of the most important extensions of the relational data model to cope with incomplete and temporal information are dealt with in separate chapters, as is the fundamental topic of concurrency control in databases. The problem of extending the expressive power of a relational database query language is covered extensively via the notion of computable query and the deductive database language Datalog. Other recent significant extensions to the relational database model, which are covered in less detail, are: nested relational databases, object-relational databases and active databases. We also look at current directions and trends in the area of database research, including graph-based, hypertext and semistructured databases, and also consider the emerging area of knowledge discovery and data mining.
This book will be of considerable interest to researchers and database practitioners who would like to gain an in-depth understanding of the foundations of modern relational database management systems, which are not presented in more introductory textbooks. It will serve as a textbook for third year computer science undergraduates and postgraduates studying database systems.