For many reasons, few books survive to reach their eighth edition. Authors and publishers who let the success of their earlier work produce the comfort of complacency usually pay the price of watching the marketplace dismantle their creations. This database systems book has been successful through seven editions because we–the authors, editors, and the publisher–paid attention to the impact of technology and to adopter questions and suggestions.We believe that this eighth edition successfully reflects the same attention to such stimuli.

In many respects, rewriting a book is more difficult than writing it the first time. If the book is successful, as this one is, a major concern is that the updates, inserts, and deletions will adversely affect writing style and continuity of coverage. (The medical profession’s guiding principle comes to mind: First, do no harm.) Naturally, our own experience is a good starting point, but we also know that authors can develop a proprietary attitude that prevents them from spotting weaknesses or opportunities for improvement. Fortunately, the efforts of a combination of superb reviewers and editors, in addition to a wealth of feedback from adopters and students of the previous editions, helped provide the proper guidance and evaluation for rewriting.We believe that we have incorporated new material while maintaining the flow, integrity, and writing style that made the previous seven editions successful.

Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management, Eighth Edition, a market-leader for database texts, gives readers a solid foundation in practical database design and implementation. The book provides in-depth coverage of database design, demonstrating that the key to successful database implementation is in proper design of databases to fit within a larger strategic view of the data environment. Updates for the eighth edition include additional Unified Modeling Language coverage, expanded coverage of SQL Server functions, all-new business intelligence coverage, and added coverage of data security. With a strong hands-on component that includes real-world examples and exercises, this book will help students develop database design skills that have valuable and meaningful application in the real world.