Database in depth

What Hacker News says

1. thallianMay 2016
   I really liked 'Database in Depth' by C.J. Date.
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2. paddy_mNov 2013
   I think you should learn the relational model (not SQL). Understand the problems it was trying to solve and how the relational model solves them. Then figure out how that applies to your app. Database in Depth was helpful for me http://www.amazon.com/Database-Depth-Relational-Theory-Pract... .
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3. mathnodeMay 2013
   Hanging off this great comment, please anyone wanting to learn about relational databases I strongly suggest reading Database in Depth by C J Date. It's around 200 pages, you will learn a lot about the relational model, database/query/index design in a short amount of time, with a little bit of logic thrown in there too.

   Just need a good SQL reference? 'The Art of SQL' or 'SQL and Relational Theory'

   Are you not entertained? Fine, choke on this : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Manifesto

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4. ant5Jul 2010
   I've never understood why programmers don't love SQL the language.

   Many programmers do love SQL. It's not a perfect solution, but it's better than most of the via alternatives.

   Anyone that "hates" SQL should be forced to read C.J. Date's Database in Depth, after which, if they still hate SQL, it will at least be for the right reasons.

   http://www.amazon.com/Database-Depth-Relational-Theory-Pract...

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5. pjungwirMay 2016
   I actually like SQL, but I'm glad people are willing to ask, "Can we do better?" I think for a working programmer, SQL is the only practical choice, but Tutorial D is an interesting attempt to improve (by C.J. Date, described at length in his books Database in Depth and The Third Manifesto), with an open source implementation called Rel. There is also a commercial database called Dataphor that uses D4, a cousin to Tutorial D. There is also a newer project called Andl that is another non-SQL relational query language.

   Personally, although I'm not a researcher, I've become intrigued by ways we model change-over-time in relational databases. Snodgrass's book _Developing Time-Oriented Database Applications in SQL_ is a good entry point to all that, and more recently we have SQL2011's Temporal standard. I still have a lot to read here myself, but I am keen to see what happens in the next ten years in how the relational model can incorporate change.

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6. gregjorMar 2012
   Surprised Tufte's books aren't on the second list. I see programmers referring to Tufte but I doubt many have read his books. I recommend them.

   I nominate Stepanov's Elements of Programming to the second list. Beautiful, dense, and a perpetual shelf ornament. Stepanov's papers, especially the one that launched the STL, Fundamentals of Generic Programming (with James Dehnert) is a masterpiece.

   I have some favorites that show my age:

   Software Tools by Kernighan and Plauger. Can be thought of as the poor-man's Dragon book.

   The Practice Of Programming by Kernighan and Pike. As if the UNIX way needed any defending after almost 40 years.

   Reliable Software Through Composite Design and Composite/Structured Design by Glenford Myers. You have to get past the ancient languages and flowcharts. These books describe modularity and module strength and coupling and are full of good ideas that still apply.

   Database In Depth by C.J. Date, for programmers who haven't read Date's textbook on databases and probably don't need to. I do wish the NoSQL weenies would read Date's Introduction To Database Systems for some history and humility. Database technology has been there, done that, moved on.

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