"Beginning Database Design: From Novice to Professional" provides short, easy-to-read explanations of how to get database design right the first time. This book offers numerous examples to help you avoid the many pitfalls that entrap new and not-so-new database designers. Through the help of use cases and class diagrams modeled in the UML, youll learn how to discover and represent the details and scope of the problem in question.
Database design is not an exact science, and solid database design principles and examples help demonstrate the consequences of simplifications and pragmatic decisions. The rationale is to try to keep it simple, but allow room for development as situations change or resources permit. The book also features an introduction for implementing the final design in a relational database.

The problem of how to design a database is commonly encountered by those not specifically trained and practiced in the art. Web site designers often use MySQL databases to back a web site, a small business owner might design an Access database to hold sales leads, researchers often use databases to manage and analyze their data. None of these types of people are professional database designers, and yet good design is crucial the success of their efforts.
Desktop Database Design is written with the lay person in mind. In clear and simple language, the author uses examples from her real-life experience to highlight the types of problems that can result from poor design, to motivate readers to do good design. She then goes on to provide a sound method that readers can follow in order to produce a good design. While focus is on implementing designs in relational databases such as Microsoft Access, PostgreSQL, MySQL, the author does not forget those readers who will choose to implement their database in a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel.

Introduction.- What Can Go Wrong?.- Guided Tour of the Development Process.- Initial Requirements and Use Cases.- Learning from the Data Model.- Developing a Data Model.- Generalization and Specialization.- From Class Diagram to Relational Database Schema.- Primary Keys and Normalization.- Completing the Relational Database Design.- Physical Implementation.- Other Implementations.

Clare Churcher (B.Sc. (Hons), Ph.D.(physics) ) has designed several databases for a variety of large and small projects. She is currently the Head of the Applied Computing Group at Lincoln University where her teaching has included Analysis and Design, Database, and Programming papers. She has supervised over 70 undergraduate projects designing databases for small projects.

Clare Churcher (B.Sc. (Hons), Ph.D.(physics) ) has designed several databases for a variety of large and small projects. She is currently the Head of the Applied Computing Group at Lincoln University where her teaching has included Analysis and Design, Database, and Programming papers. She has supervised over 70 undergraduate projects designing databases for small projects.