Introduction to Digital Systems

Book Description

A basic grounding in one of today's quickly evolving technologies. To gain one's bearing in the whirlwind of rapid development in the digital theory arena, getting a firm grasp of the basics is vital. This book provides a solid foundation in the elements of basic digital electronic and switching theory. Down to earth, yet scholarly in approach, it builds on theory with discussions of real-world digital components, design methodologies, and tools. A companion Web site provides additional information.

Customer Reviews:

Poor Intro to Digital.......2005-05-22

This book was assigned for my undergrad intro digital logic class. It is probably the worst possible introduction to the subject. The material is only mildly to moderately difficult in practice, but the authors managed to make it convoluted. If you are unfortunate enough to have this book assigned, I suggest that you purchase another textbook on the subject, and just get the homework problems from your classmates or from the reserve copy at the library.

A Book Not To Read.......2002-11-01

This book is absolutely horrible. The Professor who teaches this class with this book HE WROTE, is utterly dispicible because of his teaching ability. This professor, at UC Irvine does not know the one bit in teaching a COMPLICATED subject like Digital Systems to a class who has had little to no experiece with this type of work. I hope this book is revoked for any reason, and hope that professor reads this review in order to gain some knowledge about the way he is teaching a class of Engineers in an era where knowledge is not automatically achieved, rather taught by knowledgable instructors.

Tell your teacher to get another book!.......2000-06-26

I used this book for an introductory logic design class. I was able to learn from it, but it was difficult. The teacher didn't even use it much. The book was not well written and hard to understand. I recommend learning from another book.

Good reference, poor for beginners.......2000-03-29

I began learning about hardware design with this book. Now I use it for reference.

But for beginners, this is not a very good book. Although hardware design is somewhat difficult to explain, the book does not analyze subjects in detail or how circuits work. When it does try to explain topics, it does not do so clearly and provides few examples. Unless you have outside help (such as a teacher, professor, teaching assistant, etc.), I would definitely recommend finding another book to learn about hardware design because you will struggle while trying to figure out how things work (if you are a novice).

If you want something detailed, this book ain't it.......1999-05-25

This book is very "bare" when and it doesn't offer enought examples. This book is difficult to understand and takes deciphering the material takes many tedious hours. Therefore, I would like to conclude by saying this is absolutly the worst text book that was ever written.

An Introduction to Database Systems, Eighth Edition

Average customer rating:

When English is a set theory
A great introduction to the theory and practice of database design
the database practitioner's bible
Best theoretical book on Database design ever!
A classic, to be read by any serious developer

An Introduction to Database Systems, Eighth Edition
C.J. Date
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0321197844

Amazon.com

The newest edition of the classic An Introduction to Database Systems incorporates the latest developments in relational databases, including semantic modeling, decision support, and temporal modeling. There's better information on distributed databases, security, and the mathematics of relational databases too. With the same strong coverage of fundamental theory that made its predecessors stand out, this book ranks as the definitive textbook for those studying database systems.

This is an extraordinarily academic book. In his preface, C.J. Date goes so far as to lament having to use Structured Query Language (SQL) in some of his examples because it's "so far from being a true embodiment of relational principles." What's more, he writes in a very academic style, peppering his heavily footnoted prose with mathematical expressions and words like relevar and tuple. The academic style and highbrow language isn't a bad thing, since this book deals with complicated, largely abstract phenomena in depth.

Be aware that An Introduction to Database Systems is a far cry from the highly graphical, problem-focused books that target the community of commercial database developers, and as such requires more careful study. This book is about theories, concepts, and ideals rather than problems, solutions, and specific implementations. Per se, it will enable you to become a better database programmer--but only if you supplement it with practical guides and hands-on experience. --David Wall

Customer Reviews:

When English is a set theory.......2007-09-03

I cannot believe so many people gave this book such high ratings.

Date has no clue on writing structured English. The man has more than 4 clauses per sentence and this is not including the clauses in the brackets.

Publishers need to pay more attention when editing.

Only logically conclusion is that Date thinks in SQL and hence his English looks like SQL.

Waste of money.

A great introduction to the theory and practice of database design.......2006-07-22

This is one of the better books on the theory of database systems design. It is not meant to be a book on applications, rather it is a commonly used textbook in upper level undergraduate and graduate classes on the subject. However, this latest edition has reorganized the material somewhat and has added to its sections on XML and SQL in an attempt to show the theory through more real-world scenarios.

The book is divided into six parts. The first section sets the scene by explaining what a database is and why database systems are generally desirable. Next a general architecture for database systems is presented that serves as a framework upon which all subsequent chapters are built. Next is a broad overview of relational systems and finally there is a chapter that introduces SQL and explains how it works and why it is not a perfect language.

The second section, on the relational model, is rather long. This reflects the fact that the relational model of database systems is the foundation that makes the field a science. The author does a good job of presenting the theory along with examples of this theory as practiced in SQL. However, remember that the SQL examples are to illuminate the theory, not vice versa. The author does an exceptional job of explaining the relational calculus.

The third section is dedicated to database design, and specifically relational database design. The database design problem can be stated very simply: Given some body of data to be presented in a database, how do we decide on a logical structure for that data? This section does an exceptional job of explaining and illustrating one of the more difficult concepts in database design, that of normalization and normal forms. Database normalization is a process that eliminates redundancy, organizes data efficiently, reduces the potential for anomalies during data operations, and improves data consistency.

The fourth section, on transaction management, will be familiar to those who are involved in operating system design. This section includes methods of protecting the database against non-deliberate threats such as a system crash in the middle of program execution that leaves the database in an unpredictable state, two programs concurrently executing that interfere with one another's operation therefore producing incorrect results, and updates that might change the database in an invalid way.

The fifth section, entitled "Further Topics", tackles a number of subjects that could be the topic of a complete book by themselves. This includes protecting databases against deliberate attacks, building optimization into databases so that they work more efficiently, handling missing database information, object-oriented concepts, and logic-based databases.

The final and sixth section of the book adds information on a subject that has been missing in past editions - that of object-oriented databases. This section includes some relevant information on the use of XML in database design.

I learned database design theory from the sixth edition of this book ten years ago with no prior database design experience. I found that edition to be a clear and adequate textbook but lacking in the discussions of alternatives to the relational model which has been corrected in this eighth edition. I highly recommend this book to students and professionals who are interested in learning about the theory of modern database design. All chapters begin with an introduction and end with a summary, exercises, and bibliography, so to prevent from being repetitive I do not show those sections in the table of contents shown below:

I. PRELIMINARIES
1. An Overview of Database Management
What is a database system?; What is a database?; Why database?; Data independence; Relational systems and others;
2. Database System Architecture
The three levels of the architecture; The external level; The conceptual level; The internal level; Mappings; The database administrator; The database management system; Data communications; Client/server architecture; Utilities; Distributed processing;
3. An Introduction to Relational Databases
An informal look at the relational model; Relations and relvars; What relations mean; Optimization; The catalog; Base relvars and views; Transactions; The suppliers-and-parts database;
4. An Introduction to SQL
Overview; The catalog; Views; Transactions; Embedded SQL; Dynamic SQL and SQL/CLI; SQL is not perfect;

II. THE RELATIONAL MODEL
5. Types
Values vs Variables; Types vs Representations; Type Definition; Operators; Type generators; SQL facilities;
6. Relations
Tuples; Relation types; Relation values; Relation variables; SQL facilities;
7. Relational Algebra
Closure revisited; The original algebra: Syntax; The original algebra: Semantics; Examples; What is the algebra for?; Further points; Additional operators; Grouping and ungrouping;
8. Relational Calculus
Tuple calculus; Examples; Calculus vs. algebra; Computational capabilities; SQL facilities; Domain calculus; Query-By-Example;
9. Integrity
A closer look; Predicates and propositions; Relvar predicates and database predicates; Checking the constraints; Internal vs external constraints; Correctness vs consistency; Integrity and views; A constraint classification scheme; Keys; Triggers (a digression); SQL facilities;
10. Views
What are views for?; View retrievals; View updates; Snapshots (a digression); SQL facilities;

III. DATABASE DESIGN
11. Functional Dependencies
Basic definitions; Trivial and nontrivial dependencies; Closure of a set of dependencies; Closure of a set of attributes; Irreducible sets of dependencies;
12. Further Normalization I: 1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF; Nonloss decomposition and functional dependencies; First, second, and third normal forms; Dependency preservation; Boyce/Codd normal form; A note on relation-valued attributes;
13. Further Normalization II: Higher Normal Form
Multi-valued dependencies and fourth normal form; Join dependencies and fifth normal form; The normalization procedure summarized; A note on denormalization; Orthogonal design (a digression); Other normal forms;
14. Semantic Modeling
The overall approach; The E/R model; E/R diagrams; Database design with the E/R model; A brief analysis;

IV. TRANSACTION MANAGEMENT
15. Recovery
Transactions; Transaction recovery; System recovery; Media recovery; Two-phase commit; Savepoints (a digression); SQL facilities;
16. Concurrency
Three concurrency problems; Locking; The three concurrency problems revisited; Deadlock; Serializability; Recovery revisited; Isolation levels; Intent locking; ACID dropping; SQL facilities;

V. FURTHER TOPICS
17. Security
Discretionary access control; Mandatory access control; Statistical databases; Data encryption; SQL facilities;
18. Optimization
A motivating example; An overview of query processing; Expression transformation; Database statistics; A divide-and-conquer strategy; Implementing the relational operators;
19. Missing Information
An overview of the 3VL approach; Some consequences of the foregoing scheme; Nulls and keys; Outer join (a digression); Special values; SQL facilities;
20. Type Inheritance
Type hierarchies; Polymorphism and substitutability; Variables and assignments; Specialization by constraint; Comparisons; Operators, versions, and signatures; Is a circle an ellipse? Specialization by constraint revisited; SQL facilities;
21. Distributed Databases
Some preliminaries; The twelve objectives; Problems of distributed systems; Client/server systems; DBMS independence; SQL facilities;
22. Decision Support
Aspects of decision support; Database design for decision support; Data preparation; Data warehouses and data marts; Online analytical processing; Data mining; SQL facilities;
23. Temporal Databases
What is the problem?; Intervals; Packing and unpacking relations; Generalizing the relational operators; Database work design; Integrity constraints;
24. Logic-Based Databases
Overview; Propositional calculus; Predicate calculus; A proof-theoretic view of databases; Deductive database systems; Recursive query processing;

VI. OBJECTS, RELATIONS, AND XML
25. Object Databases
Objects, classes, methods, and messages; A closer look; A cradle-to-grave example; Miscellaneous issues;
26. Object / Relational Databases
The First Great Blunder; The Second Great Blunder; Implementation issues; Benefits of true rapprochement; SQL facilities;
27. The World Wide Web and XML
The Web and the Internet; An overview of XML; XML data definition; XML data manipulation; XML and databases; SQL facilities;

APPENDIXES.
Appendix A: The TransRelational(tm) Model
Three levels of abstraction; The basic idea; Condensed columns; Merged columns; Implementing the relational operators;
Appendix B: SQL Expressions, Table Expressions, and Boolean Expressions
Appendix C: Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Symbol
Appendix D: Online storage structures and access methods, database access: an overview, page sets and files, indexing, hashing, pointer chains, and compression techniques

the database practitioner's bible.......2005-08-18

I suppose there are two potential audiences for an introductory database book. The first audience consists of developers who need to know the very basics about databases to design and implement a database computer application. For that group I would recommend Date's book, but only upon having sufficient "computer science maturity": i.e. having taken one year of programming, and possibly a course in discrete mathematics and/or data structures and algorithms. Without this maturity much of what Date writes will be very hard to appreciate if not comprehend. True, he gives numerous examples that are quite understandable, but he also spends many paragraphs discussing somewhat abstract issues to the novice that will make him or her want to skip ahead. A good example of this is the notion of thinking of a table as the current value of a relvar, or the importance of closure in the relational algebra. The paragraphs he spends on these subtle importances will frustrate the uninitiated reader.

For someone who does not believe that he or she has the maturity to handle this book, and simply wants to develop an application that requires a database, I would recommend buying a more "down-to-earth" book possibly covering the RDMS that will be used. For example, if it is MySQL, then one might want to purchase
Welling's "MySQL Tutorial" (ISBN: 0672325845) for a much gentler and user-friendly introduction (or better yet the PHP and MySQL web development book if a web application is desired).

The other audience for this book are the professionals who are in charge of managing a database and/or using a database server for an industrial-strength application. In this case, Date's book is mandatory reading. May be not all of it, but certainly Parts I-IV. Reading these parts will give the professional the needed perspective on all the considerations required for successfully using or managing a database system.
In the world of database systems, Chris Date is one of the few authors who understands the importance of every minute detail involved with successfully using and managing databases. He proves that in this book, in a style that is not only academic but also quite useful and practical (especially his chapters on the relational algebra and calculus).

Best theoretical book on Database design ever!.......2004-04-03

I read this book for training as a senior DBA consultant and enjoyed CJ Date's excellent treatise on databases. This is the ultimate book on database theory. Like another reader commented its not how to get OCP/MCDBA whatever certifications but actually will make life better in the long run as a serious DBA pro. I now actually understand the basis of complex database topics such as cursors, data models, and concurrency/locking topics that previously are skimmed over in other books and training guides. Best book for a beginner and yeah its a bit dry and academic but CJ Date writes clearly. A MUST FOR SERIOUS COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENTS!

A classic, to be read by any serious developer.......2004-01-07

Date's seminal work is critical to understanding databases - a step mostly forgotten by those who believe every concept can be taught using commercial products with brain-dead examples in under 24 hours. Date teaches the logic and theory that underlie all successful practice. You can probably buy a different book and create a mock database faster, but you will neither understand nor be able to use it well. Do yourself a favor and read this first to understand what a database is; only then can you judge the value of other books.

Introduction to Data Compression, Second Edition (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Multimedia and Information Systems)

Average customer rating:

Accessible textbook on compression does not sacrifice rigor
A great textbook
Very good coverage
"The" Definitive Guide
Very well-written book, software not so good

Introduction to Data Compression, Second Edition (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Multimedia and Information Systems)
Khalid Sayood
Manufacturer: Morgan Kaufmann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1558605584

Amazon.com

Khalid Sayood's textbook-style Introduction to Data Compression is the definitive guide to all kinds of compression schemes. Early chapters establish the mathematics involved in basic compression techniques, including lossless and lossy compression as well as the fundamentals of information theory that lay the groundwork for common forms of compression. (The book contains all the relevant formulas, although those who don't need such mathematical detail will still be able to understand the book.)

A good portion of the book examines various compression schemes, their strengths and weaknesses, and what content they work best for. Introduction to Data Compression begins with lossless compression schemes, which lose no information during the compression/decompression process. Huffman Coding, a well-established compression scheme, and arithmetic and dictionary coding also receive excellent treatment. In addition, the author takes on lossless compression for images.

For lossy compression, Sayood discusses schemes that use quantization, where a range of values is compressed in some way. He also describes scalar, vector, and differential encoding and fractal compression. A final chapter looks at video encryption (which often combines techniques from earlier chapters). Many of the compression schemes include examples from image and sound files, but the book considers a wide variety of video schemes too. This rich and confidently written text collates a lot of research and can serve as both textbook and source for designers who need a readable and mathematically solid introduction to data compression.

Book Description

The second edition of Introduction to Data Compression builds on the features that made the first the logical choice-for practitioners who need a comprehensive guide to compression for all types of multimedia and instructors who want to equip their students with solid foundations in these increasingly important and diverse techniques.
This book provides an extensive introduction to the theory underlying today's compression techniques, with detailed, instruction for their application. All of the coverage has been updated to reflect the state of the art in data compression, including both new algorithms and older methods for which new uses are being found. And the downloadable software gives you the opportunity to see firsthand how various algorithms work, to choose and implement appropriate techniques in your own applications, and to build your own algorithms.

* Fully updated to cover the most recent lossy and lossless compression techniques, including wavelets, subband coding, predictive lossless techniques, and Huffman coding variants.
* Explains established and emerging standards in depth: JPEG 2000, JPEG-LS, MPEG 2, Group 3 and 4 Faxes, JBIG 2, ADPCM, LPC, CELP, and MELP.
* Includes an new chapter providing the mathematical background required for understanding wavelets and subband coding.
* Via the companion Web site, provides source code that enables you to experiment with a wide range of compression techniques, along with sample data and updates on the latest developments in the compression field.

Customer Reviews:

Accessible textbook on compression does not sacrifice rigor .......2007-05-19

This is one of those books that only gets a new edition when the author has something genuinely new to say, and this third edition of Sayood's excellent introduction to data compression is no exception. This particular edition is different from the second mainly in that there is a new chapter on audio compression that includes a description of the mp3 algorithm. Also there is additional information on the new video coding standards as well as the new facsimile standards.

As to the target audience for this book, if you are tasked with designing hardware or software implementations of data compression algorithms and you have some background in either electrical engineering or computer science, then this is a good book from which to learn and then to practice what you learn via some very good exercises. Some prior knowledge of information theory and random processes wouldn't hurt either. There is also an abundance of examples that are sprinkled throughout the book to illustrate concepts as they are presented. The author's approach in each chapter is to explain each concept in as an accessible manor as possible, present relevant equations, and then work an example using what has just been presented.

The book presents the mathematical preliminaries in chapter 2, and chapters 3 and 4 are dedicated to coding algorithms which include Huffman coding, arithmetic coding, Golumb-Rice codes, and Tunstall codes. Chapters 5 and 6 describe many of the popular lossless compression methods and their applications. These methods include LZW, BWT, and DMC. Chapter 7 describes various lossless image compression algorithms such as JBIG as well as their applications. Chapter 8 discusses the mathematical background of lossy compression standards. Chapters 9 and 10 concentrate on quantization since it is the basis of most lossy compression schemes. Chapter 11 discusses differential encoding techniques such as DPCM and delta modulation. Included is a discussion of the CCITT G.726 standard.

Chapter 12 is the third and final chapter dedicated to mathematical foundations. It is meant to prepare the reader for the chapters on transform, subband, and wavelet based methods that encompass the following three chapters. The JPEG standard is covered in chapter 13, the CCITT G.722 standard in chapter 14, and the EZW, SPIHT, and JPEG2000 standards are covered in chapter 15. Chapter 16 focuses on audio compression and includes descriptions of the various MPEG audio compression schemes including mp3. Chapter 17 switches gears somewhat and covers techniques in which the data to be compressed is analyzed and a model is produced. This model is then used to synthesize the data and is quite useful in speech compression. Chapter 18 deals with video compression and diverges from the book's central theme of dealing with techniques rather than applications. The chapter discusses the H.261 standard as well as MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 standards.

The website for the book, found at the publisher's site, contains a large number of C programs dealing with compression. I haven't tried to use any of these yet, so I can't speak to their validity.

A great textbook.......2006-02-11

This book has all the ingredients for a great textbook. It provides good theoratical background without going into unnecessary details, gives lot of discussion about applications, provides great exercise problems, and above all it has outstanding examples that makes some of the difficult concepts easy to understand.

Data compression needs a lot of background in information theory and other areas specific to speech, image processing etc. It is impossible to give a rigourous theoratical treatment of all of those in one volume. A strong point of this book is that it gives you just enough background on a variety of topics - without making the whole book obscure. In that respect, it is very application and implementation oriented. It is in fact what it says it is: A very good "INTRODUCTION to Data Compression"

Very good coverage.......2004-12-27

The best thing about this book is the coverage and organization of the material. Sayood covers a wide variety of compression topics without getting into the nitty gritty details of them all. Thats why its an "Introductory" book. This book is a valuable resource for those who want to know the basics of various compression techniques and can be used as a starting point for further details. Some topics like arithmetic coding are covered in more detail than others. The book is also organized nicely with mathematical foundations provided as and when necessary.

"The" Definitive Guide.......2004-02-16

Amazon claims that this is "the definitive guide". I have to agree with them because this book is the only broad grey pages introduction to data compression that I have been able to find, and it is very well written.

If you are only casually interested in data compression this book is not for you.

If you are interested in adding compression to your application and your data falls into a common category, sound, video, text ect this book is probably not for you. You should look to the open source community or buy an off the shelf product.

But if your data is odd or unique like say telemtry data (I'm sure there are other examples I just can't think of any) and you need to design a compression scheme for your data this book is "the only" book for you.

If you want to begin research into data compression and you are a newbie this book is a must have.

Very well-written book, software not so good.......2003-04-25

The book is one of the clearest I have read as a text book. Why cant everybody write like this?? There is very good flow throughout the text.

Only complaint is the software. It looks the software has not kept pace with the book itself. Some additional software has to be added (for Transform coding, for instance), and some references in the text book to the software are incorrect. If the accompanying software is upgraded, as it should be, I will rate this book a clear 5-star.

An Introduction to IMS(TM): Your Complete Guide to IBM's Information Management System (Ibm Press)
Average customer rating:

Experience shows

Excellent introduction for IMS beginners; Handy reference for Old-Timers

"Must Have" book for any IT professional dealing with IMS

An Introduction to IMS(TM): Your Complete Guide to IBM's Information Management System (Ibm Press)
Dean Meltz , Rick Long , Mark Harrington , Robert Hain , and Geoff Nicholls
Manufacturer: IBM Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Experience shows.......2006-05-23

I've been documenting IMS- and DB2-related products for almost 20 years. I had the pleasure of working with Dean Meltz on a long ago version of IMS, and knew then that his knowledge of the database was detailed and comprehensive.

I'm so glad that he was able to put much of that knowledge into one, easy-to-understand IMS primer. While many IMS gurus are retiring, and replacements are hard to find, I think this book is a staple for any IMS shop. This is not an operator's reference. (IMS already has a good one of those.) But it does provide a good overview of database structure and design and explains key points well, with very good illustrations.

This book is a much needed addition to IMS literature. I'm sure it will stand the test of decades, just as the database has done.

Excellent introduction for IMS beginners; Handy reference for Old-Timers .......2005-11-02

After giving a very brief history of IMS, the authors give us a guided tour of its extensive capabilities.

You will learn that IMS has continually evolved from its roots as a hierarchical database to an industrial strength transaction manager that services both SNA and TCP/IP and supports Java, XML and SQL access via stored procedures.

This book does not attempt to describe every nuance of all the IMS features. Instead, it touches upon each capability and discusses the most-used functions. If there is more to know, the reader is directed to the applicable IMS manuals (available on the web).

You can sit down and read this book cover to cover, or you can reference individual chapters to find out what you need, when you need it.

This reference will be close at hand on my bookshelf.

"Must Have" book for any IT professional dealing with IMS .......2005-06-28

This is the most complete reference book for IMS I have ever seen.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding

Introduction to Relational Databases
Christopher Allen , Catherine Creary , and Simon Chatwin
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

This text provides hands-on instruction to relational database design and management using Oracle examples. The proven format features step-by-step tutorials, end-of-chapter reviews, practice questions, key term lists, and lab projects.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding.......2003-12-29

This is an excellent book. The explanations are clear, to the point, and illustrated by great examples. The only book I've ever seen that explains relational database design clearly AND shows how to implement it in Oracle. Outstanding! Best purchase I've made in a long time.

The Official Introduction to DB2(R) for z/OS(R): Covers DB2(R) Universal Database for z/OS(R) Version 8 (2nd Edition) (IBM Press Series--Information Management)

Average customer rating:

The Official Introduction to DB2 for z/OS
A great introduction...

The Official Introduction to DB2(R) for z/OS(R): Covers DB2(R) Universal Database for z/OS(R) Version 8 (2nd Edition) (IBM Press Series--Information Management)
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DB2 UDB V8.1 Certification Exam 700 Study Guide
Murach's MVS TSO: Concepts and ISPF (MVS TSO)
DB2(R) SQL PL: Essential Guide for DB2(R) UDB on Linux(TM), UNIX(R), Windows(TM), i5/OS(TM), and z/OS(R) (2nd Edition)

ASIN: 0131477501

Customer Reviews:

The Official Introduction to DB2 for z/OS.......2006-08-14

This book is a good primer for anyone who is just beginning to work with DB2 for z/OS. It covers all the basic concepts well, however if you are looking for a detailed reference book, this is too basic.

A great introduction..........2004-06-16

This book is a great introduction to a very complex product and subject. There is so much more to learn about DB2 on the z/OS platform, but this book does a fine job of getting you started.

Common Warehouse Metamodel: An Introduction to the Standard for Data Warehouse Integration

Average customer rating:

Worryingly vague and unimplementable
Good overview for good technology
The emperor has no clothes
An Excellent and Comprehensive Primer on CWM
Excellent documentation reference

Common Warehouse Metamodel: An Introduction to the Standard for Data Warehouse Integration
John Poole , Dan Chang , Douglas Tolbert , and David Mellor
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Common Warehouse Metamodel Developer's Guide
Universal Meta Data Models

ASIN: 0471200522

Book Description

The official guide to programming with the revolutionary data-sharing technology
The Common Warehouse Metamodel (CWM) is the new OMG standard that makes the sharing of data seamless. The CWM standard development team provides developers with a complete overview of what CWM is and how it works. After acquainting readers with the CWM architecture and how each CWM component fits into existing database and data warehouse architectures, the authors provide expert guidance on how to plan for, implement, and deploy CWM technologies.
Companion Web site features updates on CWM technologies, descriptions of tools, and links to vendor sites.

Customer Reviews:

Worryingly vague and unimplementable.......2003-09-06

I'll say at the start that this is not my kind of book. I prefer books which are useful, enlightening or both. This didn't seem to be either. From page 3: "The mission of this book is to provide a single, coherent, and comprehensive overview of the OMG's Common Warehouse Metamodel, which is easy to read.". It may be slightly easier to read than the raw specification, but it's a lot less useful. The most telling point is further down the same page where it admits to really being just an introduction to a forthcoming "Warehouse Metamodel Developers Guide".

For an overview, the book is really short on examples. It's got lots of vague UML diagrams and pretty pictures like you might see on a powerpoint slide, but not a single worked example to show how all the buzzwords and technologies might actually fit together. I also have great problems with their use of UML as a language to actually specify data models, processes and so on. For me UML is a tool to help express intentions to people, not supply details to processing software, but this book seems to ignore the difference.

If you know nothing about meta-modelling, and want the sort of information you can get from the slides of a conference presentation, this may be a useful book. If you want to understand the details, or (gosh) actually get a job done, then this book will just frustrate you.

Good overview for good technology.......2003-04-18

I can't believe the previous reviewer. He basically said he didn't like CWM or UML, therefore the book is obviously bad ?!?

The project I am just starting is a large data mining effort that will be integrating multiple data warehouse and data mining tools. I knew we needed CWM from some earlier work with metadata repositories, but did not have the energy to dig into the OMG specification. This book gave me exactly the overview I was looking for; as an earlier author said, "This book covers all the practical steps for planning, implementing, and deploying CWM technologies". I would like to give it at least 7 stars to average out the previous irrelevant review...

The emperor has no clothes.......2002-06-10

Ok, I am a known heretic. I am not impressed by the CWM model. It is oriented toward the object-oriented implementation of a tool for metadata exchange, not toward representing the things business people would be looking for in a meta data repository.

This book is better than the on-line specification at describing the model--which was really incomprehensible--but this is at the expense of completeness. Definitions are not available for all classes and the ones that are are not clear (to me at least). The relationships are barely defined at all.

In fairness, the model is so complex that it may not be possible to describe clearly to anyone not deeply immersed in the language of object-orientation. The team of authors is further hampered by its use of UML. The notation does not permit a complete inheritance tree to be portrayed in a diagram if the diagram is of less than the entire model. Two classes may be related, but you can't see this because the relationship is between great grandparents, shown on a different page.

An Excellent and Comprehensive Primer on CWM.......2002-03-20

The overall organization of the book: its introduction of topics, clear and concise definitions and illustrative examples made for easy reading, even for concepts with which I was unfamiliar. The structure, content and motivation for the CWM classes and packages were clearly presented as was their use, interaction, extensibility and applicability through thoughtfully constructed examples.

A must read for managers, system architects and software developers grappling with data warehouse integration projects.

Excellent documentation reference.......2002-02-16

By far, the finest presentation of a new (to me) concept I have seen in a long time. Structure of book is ideal, with a strong writing style, fantastic use of graphics, and examples that aid in understanding. I knew virtually nothing about CWM before reading this book -- I know a good deal now. Excellent, understandable writing style combined with superb technical information...a definite "stew" for the CWM-hungry mind. Bon appetit!

Authorware: An Introduction to Multimedia (2nd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Not up to date
A graduate student from Penn State
Short & sweet

Authorware: An Introduction to Multimedia (2nd Edition)
Simon Hooper
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Textbook Binding

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ASIN: 0130961302

Book Description

This introductory book guides readers through the essentials of Authorware—a state-of-the-art multimedia authoring tool used to develop games, simulations, presentations, drills, and tutorials. Unlike traditional computer languages that require users to know programming, Authorware allows users to develop multimedia with only a minimal knowledge of computer programming and operation. KEY TOPICS: Adopting a user-friendly, tutorial approach, Hooper leads users step-by-step through the authoring process, integrating frequent checkpoints that assess readers' on- going comprehension. The Second Edition presents the latest version of Authorware—version 4—with a completely new interface that enhances learning.

Customer Reviews:

Not up to date.......2000-12-30

There have been so many changes in authorware that this book, while handy for it's time, is not a valid resource anymore. IT really lacks because of this, missing on some of the finer points of the newer authorware systems and abilities. Most of the high points of this book are moot now, expecially with the advent of Flash integration, the expanded Calculator Icon, and the higher movie integration.

A graduate student from Penn State.......2000-07-12

I found the book to be very useful even though I am using Authorware 5. The exercises were effective and the videos on the CD were great. Much better than the manuals.

Short & sweet.......2000-04-27

Good for version 3.5 or earlier. Works well as a personal tutor. Covers critical aspects very well.

Average customer rating:

Enterprise Information Systems
James A. O'Brien
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-Hill College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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The Ethics of Leadership
Applications in Human Resource Management: Cases, Exercises, and Skill Builders
Harvard Business Review on Change (Harvard Business Review Paperback Series)
Essentials of Corporate Finance (Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin Series in Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate)
Human Resource Management (with InfoTrac )

ASIN: 007110710X

Book Description

Jim O’Brien’s Introduction to Information Systems 11/E has been thoroughly revised to reflect the movement toward enterprise-wide business applications. All real world case studies have been updated to correspond with this movement as well. The text’s focus is on teaching the general business manager how to use and manage the most current IT technologies like the Internet, Intranets, and Extranets for electronic commerce and enterprise collaboration, and how IT contributes to competitive advantage, reengineering business processes, and decision making. The coverage of security has been boosted in this edition to respond to increased threats of computer crime.

Introduction to Logistics Systems Planning and Control (Wiley Interscience Series in Systems and Optimization)

Average customer rating:

Logistics Handbook

Introduction to Logistics Systems Planning and Control (Wiley Interscience Series in Systems and Optimization)
Gianpaolo Ghiani , Gilbert Laporte , and Roberto Musmanno
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Logic of Logistics: Theory, Algorithms, and Applications for Logistics and Supply Chain Management (Springer Series in Operations Research and Financial Engineering)
Logistics Systems: Design and Optimization (Gerad 25th Anniversary Series)
Handbook of Quantitative Supply Chain Analysis: Modeling in the E-Business Era (International Series in Operations Research & Management Science)
Logistics and Retail Management: Insights Into Current Practice and Trends from Leading Experts
Planning and Scheduling in Manufacturing and Services (Springer Series in Operations Research and Financial Engineering)

ASIN: 0470849177

Book Description

Logistics is defined as a business planning framework for the management of material, service, information and capital flows. Logistic systems have received considerable attention in the last 10 years, as they constitute one of the cornerstones in the design and control of production systems and the modeling of supply chains. This renewed interest is partly due to the recognition that well-known planning and control systems such as ‘Manufacturing Resources Planning’ and ‘Just in Time’ systems fail to establish a sound integration of lead time management, capacity planning and quality considerations.

This book uniquely:

Presents a balanced treatment of quantitative methods for logistics systems planning, organization and control.
Each topic is illustrated with real examples.
Each chapter features an annotated bibliography of key references.
Features a number of case studies that show how the methods can be applied to complex logistics problems.
Assumes only a basic knowledge of operations research.
Supported by a Website (http://wileylogisticsbook.dii.unile.it) featuring exercises and teaching material.

A unique, leading edge title for researchers, practitioners, and students of logistics and supply chain management, in both academia; engineering, computer science, management science, undergraduate, graduate students and industry professionals.

Download Description

This book uniquely:

Presents a balanced treatment of quantitative methods for logistics systems planning, organization and control.
Each topic is illustrated with real examples.
Each chapter features an annotated bibliography of key references.
Features a number of case studies that show how the methods can be applied to complex logistics problems.
Assumes only a basic knowledge of operations research.
Supported by a Website featuring exercises and teaching material.

Customer Reviews:

Logistics Handbook.......2007-01-12

If you want to have a quick reference book rich in logistic quantitative methods, then this book a very good choice. It is concise an easy to read.

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