There are many database books; what's special about this one?

This book doesn't patronize. There are some technical things to learn about relational databases if you want to use them effectively and this book does not skimp on those. We cover them in detail with practical examples that you can work through. You are not a dummy; you are smart and you are keen to learn.

This book doesn't blind you with science. The theory of relational databases can be described in mathematical terms. This is good, but it is not the way people talk about relational databases in projects out there in the business world, in the public sector and in charities. This book uses plain English to describe the concepts and why they are important. This book will help you to communicate with users and colleagues to build great database applications.

This book isn't tied to any particular vendor. it discusses all the leading databases, highlighting their similarities and their differences so that you can implement your applications whatever relational database you are using.

This book isn't bogged down in bureaucracy. We are enthusiastic about real agile development and we know how to build database applications in an agile team because we have done it, successfully, several times. We do care about doing the job well, testing thoroughly, documenting what needs to be documented, managing frequent releases, but we do not care for the three-inch-thick up-front specification.

We have learned some things that make applications successful and some that lead to failure. We share these with you so that you get the best possible opportunity to succeed.

We enjoy building database applications and we hope you will too.