Artesia

Relational databases are tricky beasts. Other kinds of commercial software are infinitely easier to understand. Word processors are really just high-tech typewriters, and it's pretty clear that the backspace key beats that little jar of white stuff cold. Spreadsheets present a familiar enough paradigm, even to non-accountants, and email is close enough to the postal system for the model to be comprehensible.

The book is divided into three sections. Part 1, Relational Database Theory, covers the fundamental principles of the relational model. This is where the really ugly, theoretical stuff is. But don't worry; it will get easier. Part 2, Designing Relational Database Systems, examines the analysis and design process—what you should do to get from the real world to a reliable database system design. Part 3 discusses the most important aspect of a database system from a user's point of view: the user interface.