A Sane Approach to Database Design

A Sane Approach to Database Design 

*Media Copies Are Available For ?A Sane Approach to Database Design? 

Monroe, Michigan - October 7, 2008 -- Computers aren't hard to use. Bad software is hard to use.
Many computer systems today are hard to use because they were built on top of poorly designed
databases. 

So says Mark Johansen in his recent book, A Sane Approach to Database Design. He suggests that many
databases are poorly designed because computer programmers concentrate on the mechanics and neglect
the big picture. "Many programmers think that learning SQL is all they need to design a database,"
he says. "That's like thinking that knowing how to set the flash options on your camera makes you a
skilled photographer. That's not even the first step -- it's the last step. You start by finding an
interesting subject and angle to photograph it from. In database design, you start by determining
what information needs to be kept and how it should be organized. The language syntax is a minor
point at the end." 

Sane Approach cites numerous examples from the author's experience of poorly-designed databases,
like a government inventory system that was carefully designed to provide for long delays in
setting type and arranging print runs on mechanical printing presses ? despite the fact that the
information was all kept on a database and updated electronically ? because that's how the old
manual system worked. 

The author takes the reader through the steps of designing a database intelligently, like
identifying entities and attributes, defining keys and indexes, and organizing the database to
avoid redundancy and ambiguity, including normalization. He also includes some less-frequently
discussed issues, like inventing good names and coping with users who continually change the
requirements. 

Mark Johansen has been designing databases for 28 years. He lives in Michigan with his teenage
daughter. 

Review copies are available upon request:

Contact the author, Mark Johansen at sanedb@electrictactics.com or call 734-731-3165,
www.electrictactics.com/book/sanedb.html.

 
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From the back cover:
There's more to building databases than just knowing SQL. Database design is the art of translating
real-world requirements into an information model that can be implemented with a relational
database. Which particular database product you use is not important.

This book presents a step-by-step guide to building a database. Topics include: Requirements
gatheringIntroduction to SQLThe model sequenceEntities, relationships, and attributesKeys and
indexesEntity-Relationship DiagramsNaming - NormalizationImplementation - Breaking the rules The
author has been building databases for 28 years. He has developed systems for manufacturing,
marketing, merchandising, medical, and military organizations, as an employee and as a consultant.
He lives in Michigan with his daughter, five computers, and three printers.

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