Database theory resources?

[sonofslim]

i'm looking for a book or resource that deals with database theory: normalization, complex queries and joins, etc. i know my way around PHP/MySQL and the code's not a problem; i want something a little more abstract, having to do with databases and structured queries in general.

any thoughts?

edit: 500 posts! and what a geeky way to do it!

[jeremy.king]

Maybe a College text book might be up your alley? I would venture to guess that many universities advertise what books they use to teach on their websites.

I think I used an earlier edition of this one
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0201385902/ref=ase_ocelotbooks/103-5356260-7723819?v=glance&s=books

[bousozoku]

Computer Data-Base Organization by James Martin (ISBN 0-13-165423-3) is probably the original gold standard but it's quite old. It will give a more historical perspective on why things have changed.

I also use Advanced Database Techniques by Daniel Martin (ISBN 0-262-13215-X) and Database Design: The Semantic Modeling Approach by Naphtali Rishe (ISBN 0-07-052955-8). These provide additional, more modern views on database design.

[Doctor Q]

It's hard to guess how much detail you want to get into. You could go back to the original relational database books by E.F. Codd (The Relational Model for Database Management) and C.J. Date (An Introduction to Database Systems), or look for another book that deals with the concepts rather than with a particular RDBMS implementation.

I think you'll know what you like when you can thumb through it. That's why you should go to a university bookstore, or even a large regular bookstore, and look at the choices on the shelf, rather than buy something simply on a recommendation.

[sonofslim]

yeah, i think a university bookstore is the way to go. if i had the extra cash & extra time, i'd like to take a course or two in the field.