Keys, Foreign Keys, and Relational Theory

Keys and foreign keys play a crucial role in relational databases—keys identify the objects of interest, and foreign keys knit those objects together. The basic idea couldn’t be simpler. As so often, however, the devil is in the detail … The fact is, these concepts aren’t quite as straightforward as they might seem on first acquaintance—or, at least, such would appear to be the case, if the literature is anything to go by. In this one of a kind book, noted database author C. J. Date traces the somewhat checkered history of the key and foreign key concepts, shedding some light on what turns out to be, on occasion, a surprisingly murky subject and explaining in detail what proper support should look like in true relational products.

Logic and Relational Theory

As a database professional, you owe it to yourself to understand the basics of formal logic, and you ought to be able to explain the connections between formal logic and database technology.

Fifty Years of Relational, and Other Database Writings

Fifty years of relational. It’s hard to believe the relational model has been around now for over half a century! But it has…

Stating the Obvious, and Other Database Writings

Some things seem so obvious that they don’t need to be spelled out in detail. Or do they?

Database Dreaming Volume I

Along with its companion volume (Database Dreaming Volume II), this book offers a collection of essays on the general topic of relational databases and relational database technology.

Database Dreaming Volume II

Along with its companion volume (Database Dreaming Volume I), this book offers a collection of essays on the general topic of relational databases and relational database technology.

E. F. Codd and Relational Theory, Revised Edition

An examination of all of Codd’s major database publications, explaining the nature of his contribution in depth, and in particular highlighting not only the many things he got right but also some of the things he got wrong.

On Cantor and the Transfinite

The aim of this book is to explain and investigate the claims of Cantor’s in depth (and question them, where appropriate). It’s not a textbook, though; instead, it’s a popular account—it tells a story—and the target audience is interested lay readers, not mathematicians or logicians.

Relational Theory Course: Building on the Foundations

There’s a great deal more to relational theory than most people realize. Of course, the relational model, which that theory is built on, is essentially quite simple—you can learn it pretty well in an hour or two, maybe less—but it has amazing depths, and implications that are yet to be fully explored. This one of a kind seminar examines some of those depths and implications. To set the scene, it opens with a preliminary overview of what the relational model and relational DBMSs are really all about—and even that overview might provide a few surprises, if your knowledge of such matters derives only from SQL. It then goes on to build on that foundation, taking closer looks at a series of important topics, including type theory, updating, language design, constraints, database design, views and view updating, temporal data, and missing information.

“Classroom” (pencil and paper) exercises will reinforce learning.

Prerequisites: Attendees are assumed to be database students or professionals and to have at least a basic familiarity with SQL. Detailed prior knowledge of the relational model as such is not required.