The majority of database systems being installed today are based on the relational database model. Unfortunately, relational database design is one of the most misunderstood aspects of computing. Part of the problem comes from popular literature that describes a relational database as anything that has "relationships between files." And those who do understand that a relational database is really nothing more than a collection of two-dimensional tables are caught between good design and the performance of the database. They are often unaware of the side-effects of many of their poor design decisions.

* Approaches relational database design with a balance of theory and practice; and the theory is targeted towards real-world practice
* Presents an entity-relationship approach and a relational theory approach; explains how they are related and how they cross check each other to validate the design
* Includes in-depth database design case studies