Encyclopedia of Database Technologies and Applications

Citation

Calvert, P. (2005), "Encyclopedia of Database Technologies and Applications", Online Information Review, Vol. 29 No. 6, pp. 687-688. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520510638142

Databases are central to almost all information management. They always have been, even though we did not necessarily appreciate that library card catalogues were databases, and that the process of adding and deleting catalogue cards was database management. What transformed catalogues into databases, at least in our terminology, was the arrival of computers, and from that time forward librarians and records managers have worked with numerous databases of all sizes and types.

What many of us know is how to create and search a simple, small database; perhaps we even know how create a relational database and use SQL or something similar. It is unlikely, though, that we can do everything described in this encyclopaedia. Few people could. There are so many strands to the content that a list would perhaps confuse rather than enlighten, so here are only a few topics relevant to information managers. Large databases can be used to present us with patterns from the data that we can not see without the use of algorithms, and the application of data warehousing and data mining and relevant to, but seldom used in, information management. There is a chapter in this encyclopaedia on bioinformatics data mining that I recommend. Many readers will also enjoy the chapter on digital media warehouses. There is a chapter on e‐government databases. There are chapters on integrating databases for intranet and web content management. There is a good chapter by Curti on free and Open Source software for databases (popular in libraries), and another good one by Cartelli on Open Source software and information systems on the web. Lastly, the editors have taken a rather wide definition of “databases” and included the web as a database, which opens up huge possibilities, and there is a good chapter on applying database techniques to the semantic web. There is also a chapter on using the semantic web for constructing ontologies. Perhaps there is too little in this encyclopaedia on the user interface and the quality customers receive from our databases, but that is not a major criticism. As with other encyclopaedias from Idea Group, the indexing leaves much to be desired.

Here are the numbers. This is a single‐volume encyclopaedia; it includes more than 120 chapters (or articles) written by more than 170 researchers from 33 countries. The chapters include definitions of key terms, and there are more than 970 such technical and managerial terms with working definitions. The bibliographic sources are plentiful, and there are more than 2,400 references to use when seeking further information.

Most of the articles are suitable for undergraduates with some knowledge of databases, but I doubt this is a really a starting point for the majority of students. It will be very useful for student research, project work and higher level courses. My guess is that many faculty will also want to read a few chapters just to keep up to date with developments in fields that are moving rapidly ahead and which have started to pass them by. I know I found the chapter on semantic information management by Schwartz and Schreiber a timely help.

I highly recommend this encyclopaedia to any library serving students studying information technology, information systems, computer science, and all similar subjects. The price is very reasonable, and it will survive plentiful use.