Book Review: Grokking Relational Database Design

Grokking Relational Database Design

The evolution of AI is deeply intertwined with how data has been managed, structured, and ultimately harnessed for intelligence. In this context, the foundational skill of database design remains as relevant as ever although it's often seen as unglamorous due to the somewhat esoteric database jargon. 

Grokking Relational Database Design, written by academicians Qiang Hao and Michail Tsikerdekis, is a beginner-friendly guide that explains complex concepts with modern references, relatable examples and helpful design diagrams.

What stands out is the authors’ teaching experience, which informs their approach. The book avoids being anchored to a single RDBMS. It references widely used systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, and Oracle, encouraging learners to apply their knowledge using freely available tools like dbdiagram.io and sqliteonline.com.

Years ago, when there were far fewer accessible learning resources or real-world data model samples, I often relied on Barry Williams’ collection just to get a grasp of practical database design. Reading Grokking Relational Database Design felt like the guide I wish I had back then.

At around 250 pages, the book covers all the core principles of relational database design while also including a timely chapter on leveraging AI assistants such as ChatGPT. The database vocabulary introduced here equips both newcomers and practitioners to better communicate with AI assistants and get the most from them during implementation.

If you’re new to databases or want a clearer grasp of the design side of things, this book is a good pick.

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