Logic and Relational Theory: Thoughts and Essays on Database Matters

This book is a revised upgraded and hugely improved version of an earlier one called Logic and Databases. Although its effectively a brand new book therefore the following remarks from that earlier book are still relevant here. First logic and databases are inextricably intertwined. The relational model itself is essentially just elementary logic tailored to database needs. Now if youre a database professional this wont be news to you-but you still might not realize just how much everything we do in the database world is (or should be!) affected by logic. Logic is fundamental and everywhere. As a database professional therefore you owe it to yourself to understand the basics of formal logic and you ought to be able to explain (and perhaps defend) the connections between formal logic and database technology. And thats what this book is about. What it does is show through a series of partly independent partly interrelated essays just how various crucial aspects of database technology-some of them very familiar others maybe less so-are solidly grounded in formal logic. Overall the goal is to help you realize the importance of logic in everything you do and also I hope to help you see that logic can be fun.