Roger L Reid (3/2/2010)
A nice improvement on the original, Timothy. So many developers never get past the point you started at.May I recommend picking up "The Art of SQL" by Stephane Faroult? And perhaps "SQL and Relational Theory" by C J Date, and maybe Joe Celko's "Thinking In Sets".
Most developers get into relational databases by accident and never get the background they need. You've obviously got the head for it, and I think you might find these books will consolidate your thinking on these matters.
Roger Reid
PS - it is true some of the terminology is off. Given that we are trying to do relational databases using SQL, I think we can cut each other a little slack on vocabulary. The C J Date book will clarify that!
I usually think that anyone who advocates young and inexperienced database people reading Chris :crazy: :alien: Date should be severely punished for attempting to corrupt the young who are our hope for the future! Better to suggest they read everything they can find by Ted Codd, or Jim Gray, or Carlo Zaniolo, or Phil Bergstein, or indeed almost anyone (:hehe: whether they wrote about relational databases and relational theory or not)!
Tom