Logic and Databases


Book Description

Logic and databases are inextricably intertwined. The relational model in particular is essentially just elementary predicate logic, tailored to fit the needs of database management. Now, if you're a database professional, I'm sure this isn't news to you; but you still might not realize just how much everything we do in the database world is - or should be! - affected by predicate logic. Logic is everywhere. So if you're a database professional you really owe it to yourself to understand the basics of formal logic, and you really ought to be able to explain (and perhaps defend) the connections between formal logic and database management. And that's what this book is about. What it does is show, through a series of partly independent and partly interrelate essays, just how various crucial aspects of database technology-some of them very familiar, others maybe less so- are solidly grounded in formal logic. It is divided into five parts: *Basic Logic *Logic and Database Management *Logic and Database Design *Logic and Algebra *Logic and the Third Manifesto There's also a lengthy appendix, containing a collection of frequently asked questions (and some answers) on various aspects of logic and database management. Overall, my goal is to help you realize the importance of logic in everything you do, and also- I hope- to help you see that logic can be fun.




Logic and Relational Theory


Book Description

This book is a revised, upgraded, and hugely improved version of an earlier one called Logic and Databases. Although it’s effectively a brand new book, therefore, the following remarks from that earlier book are still relevant here. First, logic and databases are inextricably intertwined. The relational model itself is essentially just elementary logic, tailored to database needs. Now, if you’re a database professional, this won’t be news to you—but you still might not realize just how much everything we do in the database world is (or should be!) affected by logic. Logic is fundamental, and everywhere. As a database professional, therefore, you owe it to yourself to understand the basics of formal logic, and you ought to be able to explain (and perhaps defend) the connections between formal logic and database technology. And that’s what this book is about. What it does is show, through a series of partly independent, partly interrelated essays, just how various crucial aspects of database technology—some of them very familiar, others maybe less so—are solidly grounded in formal logic. Overall, the goal is to help you realize the importance of logic in everything you do, and also, I hope, to help you see that logic can be fun.




SQL and Relational Theory


Book Description

SQL is full of difficulties and traps for the unwary. You can avoid them if you understand relational theory, but only if you know how to put the theory into practice. In this insightful book, author C.J. Date explains relational theory in depth, and demonstrates through numerous examples and exercises how you can apply it directly to your use of SQL. This second edition includes new material on recursive queries, “missing information” without nulls, new update operators, and topics such as aggregate operators, grouping and ungrouping, and view updating. If you have a modest-to-advanced background in SQL, you’ll learn how to deal with a host of common SQL dilemmas. Why is proper column naming so important? Nulls in your database are causing you to get wrong answers. Why? What can you do about it? Is it possible to write an SQL query to find employees who have never been in the same department for more than six months at a time? SQL supports “quantified comparisons,” but they’re better avoided. Why? How do you avoid them? Constraints are crucially important, but most SQL products don’t support them properly. What can you do to resolve this situation? Database theory and practice have evolved since the relational model was developed more than 40 years ago. SQL and Relational Theory draws on decades of research to present the most up-to-date treatment of SQL available. C.J. Date has a stature that is unique within the database industry. A prolific writer well known for the bestselling textbook An Introduction to Database Systems (Addison-Wesley), he has an exceptionally clear style when writing about complex principles and theory.




Database in Depth


Book Description

This book sheds light on the principles behind the relational model, which is fundamental to all database-backed applications--and, consequently, most of the work that goes on in the computing world today. Database in Depth: The Relational Model for Practitioners goes beyond the hype and gets to the heart of how relational databases actually work.Ideal for experienced database developers and designers, this concise guide gives you a clear view of the technology--a view that's not influenced by any vendor or product. Featuring an extensive set of exercises, it will help you: understand why and how the relational model is still directly relevant to modern database technology (and will remain so for the foreseeable future) see why and how the SQL standard is seriously deficient use the best current theoretical knowledge in the design of their databases and database applications make informed decisions in their daily database professional activities Database in Depth will appeal not only to database developers and designers, but also to a diverse field of professionals and academics, including database administrators (DBAs), information modelers, database consultants, and more. Virtually everyone who deals with relational databases should have at least a passing understanding of the fundamentals of working with relational models.Author C.J. Date has been involved with the relational model from its earliest days. An exceptionally clear-thinking writer, Date lays out principle and theory in a manner that is easily understood. Few others can speak as authoritatively the topic of relational databases as Date can.




Relational Theory and the Practice of Psychotherapy


Book Description

This important and innovative book explores a new direction in psychoanalytic thought that can expand and deepen clinical practice. Relational psychoanalysis diverges in key ways from the assumptions and practices that have traditionally characterized psychoanalysis. At the same time, it preserves, and even extends, the profound understanding of human experience and psychological conflict that has always been the strength of the psychoanalytic approach. Through probing theoretical analysis and illuminating examples, the book offers new and powerful ways to revitalize clinical practice.




Logic for Philosophy


Book Description

Logic for Philosophy is an introduction to logic for students of contemporary philosophy. It is suitable both for advanced undergraduates and for beginning graduate students in philosophy. It covers (i) basic approaches to logic, including proof theory and especially model theory, (ii) extensions of standard logic that are important in philosophy, and (iii) some elementary philosophy of logic. It emphasizes breadth rather than depth. For example, it discusses modal logic and counterfactuals, but does not prove the central metalogical results for predicate logic (completeness, undecidability, etc.) Its goal is to introduce students to the logic they need to know in order to read contemporary philosophical work. It is very user-friendly for students without an extensive background in mathematics. In short, this book gives you the understanding of logic that you need to do philosophy.




A Relational Theory of World Politics


Book Description

A reinterpretation of world politics drawing on Chinese cultural and philosophical traditions to argue for a focus on relations amongst actors, rather than on the actors individually.







The Theory of Relational Databases


Book Description

This remarkably comprehensive new book assembles concepts and results in relational databases theory previously scattered through journals, books, conference proceedings, and technical memoranda in one convenient source, and introduces pertinent new material not found elsewhere. The book is intended for a second course in databases, but is an excellent reference for researchers in the field. The material covered includes relational algebra, functional dependencies, multivalued and join dependencies, normal forms, tableaux and the chase computation, representation theory, domain and tuple relational calculus, query modification, database semantics and null values, acyclic database schemes, template dependencies, and computed relations. The final chapter is a brief survey of query languages in existing relational systems. Each chapter contains numerous examples and exercises, along with bibliographic remarks. - Back cover.




Neighborhood Semantics for Modal Logic


Book Description

This book offers a state-of-the-art introduction to the basic techniques and results of neighborhood semantics for modal logic. In addition to presenting the relevant technical background, it highlights both the pitfalls and potential uses of neighborhood models – an interesting class of mathematical structures that were originally introduced to provide a semantics for weak systems of modal logic (the so-called non-normal modal logics). In addition, the book discusses a broad range of topics, including standard modal logic results (i.e., completeness, decidability and definability); bisimulations for neighborhood models and other model-theoretic constructions; comparisons with other semantics for modal logic (e.g., relational models, topological models, plausibility models); neighborhood semantics for first-order modal logic, applications in game theory (coalitional logic and game logic); applications in epistemic logic (logics of evidence and belief); and non-normal modal logics with dynamic modalities. The book can be used as the primary text for seminars on philosophical logic focused on non-normal modal logics; as a supplemental text for courses on modal logic, logic in AI, or philosophical logic (either at the undergraduate or graduate level); or as the primary source for researchers interested in learning about the uses of neighborhood semantics in philosophical logic and game theory.