Database Integrity: Challenges and Solutions

Citation

Fourie, I. (2003), "Database Integrity: Challenges and Solutions", The Electronic Library, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 171-171. https://doi.org/10.1108/el.2003.21.2.171.4

Database Integrity: Challenges and Solutions is a highly technical publication, abounding with expertise and unique insights. The compilers, Jorge Doorn and Laura Rivero, as well as all the contributors are all highly qualified to write on a subject, which has become of critical importance. Since the testing of the validity of large numbers of constraints in large databases after each transaction is such an expensive, but also very important task, it is essential for us to consider issues of maintaining efficient database integrity.

The book, therefore, concerns technology developed to support the guarantee of the quality of stored data where software design has to deal with a number of aspects such as the problem of the properties of the data. Data properties are analysed from two different perspectives, namely the real world as well as the database world. The integrity problems in databases are framed in different paradigms to help us understand how real world characteristics become integrity issues in databases. The chapters cover topics on several well‐established research areas such as active databases, SQL databases and geographical databases. It includes a preface and ten chapters which cover the following issues: the fundamentals and current implementations of database integrity; the preservation of relationship cardinality constraints in relational schemata; integrity constraints in an active database environment; integrity constraints in spatial databases; queries over database integrity constraints; the translation of advanced integrity checking technology to SQL; the fundamental dependencies for value‐based identification in object‐oriented databases; integrity issues in the Web database environment and the integrity maintenance of extensible databases. Each chapter displays considerable subject expertise and is concluded with an extensive, up‐to‐date bibliography.

Database Integrity: Challenges and Solutions is aimed at academic readers working on integrity problems from different perspectives as well as practitioners working with database integrity problems. Although the publisher also recommends the book for general readers to fill them in on up‐to‐date analysis and tutorials on integrity topics, they would require substantial subject knowledge to follow the discussions, which, as befits the topic, is of a very technical nature.

Unfortunately, the index is rather basic with no references or cross‐references. It certainly does not contribute to the value of the book.

Database Integrity: Challenges and Solutions is highly recommended to all involved in the practical as well as research scenarios concerning database integrity.