- Email: [email protected]
Database: Step by step
369
Book Reviews
The omission problem might have been avoided with an explanation on content; e.g., an attempt to characterize somehow information technology. The attempt in the introduction however is very “information technology is the appligeneral and leaves open the broadest possible interpretation: cation of new technology to the storage, processing and retrieval of information.” It doesn’t give the user any real indication of what to expect other than the coverage is limited to conferences. Actually, the subject coverage is clearly information technology as it relates to librarianship and information science, including conferences on linguistics and human factors. All the major “online” conferences are included as well as ASIS, ASLIB, and a number of lesser known meetings, for example, foreign conferences and satellite workshops. Eighty-three conferences from fifty-two countries are covered, with indices for country as well as author and subject. In addition, there are indices by editor, conference title and conference organizer, but these lead only to a list of the conferences themselves in the beginning and not to the individual papers. On the last point, the physical arrangement, I believe another oversight was made. The papers are arranged by author and I would have found this work much more valuable had the papers been arranged by conference. Since there is an author index, why arrange the entries by author? It would have been much more valuable as an organizing tool to view papers arranged by a common theme of interest, the conferences. One could then have gotten the flavor, so to speak, on the nature of these conferences. Such access is impossible with this resource. Nevertheless, Index to Information Technology is interesting to browse, and although most of the entries can be found through a DIALOG search, it does make a convenient and cost-effective resource tool.
California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
PETER J. VIGIL
Database: Step by Step. M. L. GILLENSON. John Wiley & Sons, New York, Chichester, Toronto and Singapore (1985). xviii + 386 pp. $36.95. ISBN O-471-80702-8.
Brisbane,
It is very refreshing to find a book that thoroughly lives up to its stated purpose:” . . . to explain the PRINCIPLES behind database and the broad range of database subtopics IN A MANNER THAT LEAVES NOTHING TO THE IMAGINATION.” What this book does is provide an excellent introductory text to the current state of the database field within computer science. It even includes excellent questions and exercises at the end of each chapter which attest to the fine instructional skills that this author possesses. There are fifteen chapters which take the reader from the initial introductory chapter through a “guided tour of database fundamentals” beginning with Simple Files and Storage Media (Chapter 2). File Organizations and Access Methods, Benefits of the Database Approach, Database Management Systems Characteristics, Hierarchical Approach to Database, Network Approach to Database, Relational Approach to Database, Pseudo Relational Approach to Database, Database Design, Data Dictionaries, Database Environment Issues, Data Administration, Evolving Topics and The Future complete the cities on the database guided tour. The examples are very well-thought-out and lend much to the concise, yet extremely readable text. There is a tendency to use many references to IBM program products in the volume such as IMS, SQL, QBE, DL/l and the IBM System/38 database. However, although the author is with IBM this might have been the case independent of the author’s affiliation, since much of the development of fundamental theories and approaches in database have occurred at IBM and have later migrated into other developers’ software products. Thus, much basic research work at IBM in software has spawned product development within computing generally. This reviewer has found that it is often easier for an author or scholar to write erudite treatises directed at one’s research colleagues. Much of what is written in monographs in the database area suffers from this trait. It is much more difficult to explain complex and multi-faceted topics such as database in a readable, well conceived manner, without either going over the head of the reader or becoming overly elementary. This is what makes Gillenson’s book a valid contribution that undergraduate and graduate students in information and computer science, management information systems or other subject fields will value. In fact, computer users, business managers and other professionals who need to understand how their information needs can be met would do well to seriously read this book. Libraries who acquire introductory texts in the computer and information science field will find ready readership among their clientele for this book.
University of Minnesota Libraries Minneapolis, MN
AUDREY N. GROSCH
Book Reviews
The omission problem might have been avoided with an explanation on content; e.g., an attempt to characterize somehow information technology. The attempt in the introduction however is very “information technology is the appligeneral and leaves open the broadest possible interpretation: cation of new technology to the storage, processing and retrieval of information.” It doesn’t give the user any real indication of what to expect other than the coverage is limited to conferences. Actually, the subject coverage is clearly information technology as it relates to librarianship and information science, including conferences on linguistics and human factors. All the major “online” conferences are included as well as ASIS, ASLIB, and a number of lesser known meetings, for example, foreign conferences and satellite workshops. Eighty-three conferences from fifty-two countries are covered, with indices for country as well as author and subject. In addition, there are indices by editor, conference title and conference organizer, but these lead only to a list of the conferences themselves in the beginning and not to the individual papers. On the last point, the physical arrangement, I believe another oversight was made. The papers are arranged by author and I would have found this work much more valuable had the papers been arranged by conference. Since there is an author index, why arrange the entries by author? It would have been much more valuable as an organizing tool to view papers arranged by a common theme of interest, the conferences. One could then have gotten the flavor, so to speak, on the nature of these conferences. Such access is impossible with this resource. Nevertheless, Index to Information Technology is interesting to browse, and although most of the entries can be found through a DIALOG search, it does make a convenient and cost-effective resource tool.
California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
PETER J. VIGIL
Database: Step by Step. M. L. GILLENSON. John Wiley & Sons, New York, Chichester, Toronto and Singapore (1985). xviii + 386 pp. $36.95. ISBN O-471-80702-8.
Brisbane,
It is very refreshing to find a book that thoroughly lives up to its stated purpose:” . . . to explain the PRINCIPLES behind database and the broad range of database subtopics IN A MANNER THAT LEAVES NOTHING TO THE IMAGINATION.” What this book does is provide an excellent introductory text to the current state of the database field within computer science. It even includes excellent questions and exercises at the end of each chapter which attest to the fine instructional skills that this author possesses. There are fifteen chapters which take the reader from the initial introductory chapter through a “guided tour of database fundamentals” beginning with Simple Files and Storage Media (Chapter 2). File Organizations and Access Methods, Benefits of the Database Approach, Database Management Systems Characteristics, Hierarchical Approach to Database, Network Approach to Database, Relational Approach to Database, Pseudo Relational Approach to Database, Database Design, Data Dictionaries, Database Environment Issues, Data Administration, Evolving Topics and The Future complete the cities on the database guided tour. The examples are very well-thought-out and lend much to the concise, yet extremely readable text. There is a tendency to use many references to IBM program products in the volume such as IMS, SQL, QBE, DL/l and the IBM System/38 database. However, although the author is with IBM this might have been the case independent of the author’s affiliation, since much of the development of fundamental theories and approaches in database have occurred at IBM and have later migrated into other developers’ software products. Thus, much basic research work at IBM in software has spawned product development within computing generally. This reviewer has found that it is often easier for an author or scholar to write erudite treatises directed at one’s research colleagues. Much of what is written in monographs in the database area suffers from this trait. It is much more difficult to explain complex and multi-faceted topics such as database in a readable, well conceived manner, without either going over the head of the reader or becoming overly elementary. This is what makes Gillenson’s book a valid contribution that undergraduate and graduate students in information and computer science, management information systems or other subject fields will value. In fact, computer users, business managers and other professionals who need to understand how their information needs can be met would do well to seriously read this book. Libraries who acquire introductory texts in the computer and information science field will find ready readership among their clientele for this book.
University of Minnesota Libraries Minneapolis, MN
AUDREY N. GROSCH