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  • © 2021

Concise Guide to Databases

A Practical Introduction

  • Includes numerous examples to support the description of both business and technical issues
  • Introduces a range of commercial databases and encourages the reader to experiment with these in an associated learning environment
  • Presents a mixture of both theory and practical elements
  • Updated and expanded new edition, featuring a larger range of database types and applications, and new material on database adaptiveness, integration, and efficiency in relation to data growth

Part of the book series: Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science (UTICS)

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Table of contents (19 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxiii
  2. Databases in Context

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Data, An Organisational Asset

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 3-21
    3. A History of Databases

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 23-43
    4. Physical Storage and Distribution

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 45-68
  3. Database Types

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 69-69
    2. Relational Databases

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 71-100
    3. NoSQL Databases

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 101-139
    4. Big Data

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 141-163
    5. Object and Object Relational Databases

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 165-187
    6. In-Memory Databases

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 189-203
    7. Hierarchical Databases

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 205-212
    8. Distributed Databases

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 213-222
    9. Graph Databases

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 223-235
  4. What Database Professionals Worry About

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 237-237
    2. Database Scalability

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 239-257
    3. Database Availability

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 259-279
    4. Database Performance

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 281-322
    5. Security

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 323-342
    6. Database Adaptiveness and Integration

      • Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther
      Pages 343-355

About this book

Modern businesses depend on data for their very survival, creating a need for sophisticated databases and database technologies to help store, organise and transport their valuable data.

This updated and expanded, easy-to-read textbook/reference presents a comprehensive introduction to databases, opening with a concise history of databases and of data as an organisational asset. As relational database management systems are no longer the only database solution, the book takes a wider view of database technology, encompassing big data, NoSQL, object and object-relational, and in-memory databases. Presenting both theoretical and practical elements, the new edition also examines the issues of scalability, availability, performance and security encountered when building and running a database in the real world.


Topics and features:


  • Presents review and discussion questions at the end of each chapter, in addition toskill-building, hands-on exercises
  • Provides new material on database adaptiveness, integration, and efficiency in relation to data growth
  • Introduces a range of commercial databases and encourages the reader to experiment with these in an associated learning environment
  • Reviews use of a variety of databases in business environments, including numerous examples
  • Discusses areas for further research within this fast-moving domain



With its learning-by-doing approach, supported by both theoretical and practical examples, this clearly-structured textbook will be of great value to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of computer science, software engineering, and information technology. Practising database professionals and application developers will also find the book an ideal reference that addresses today's business needs.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK

    Konstantinos Domdouzis, Peter Lake, Paul Crowther

About the authors

Konstantinos Domdouzis is Senior Lecturer in the Communication and Computing Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

Peter Lake (now retired) was formerly Course Leader for the Oracle IT&M MSc and the IT Professional MSc at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. His other Springer publications include Information Systems Management in the Big Data Era and Guide to Cloud Computing.

Paul Crowther (now retired) was formerly Head of Postgraduate (taught programmes) in the Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access