Addressed to a community of designers, developers, and database administrators working on a common platform (Open VMS and Oracle Rdb), this book proves itself to be what the title states, a comprehensive guide to this relational database management system.

Starting with the architecture of the database, the data definition, and data manipulation features, the authors present not only the logical structure of the database but the storage structures, the multifile database capabilities, and the format of the database page. The internal mechanisms such as the indexed access, the transaction management, and locking techniques are also extensively described with many examples and illustrative tables and pictures.

As the database systems begin to increase in size to hundreds of gigabytes and even terabytes, interest in optimizing the query processes and in tuning the access to the data is becoming more and more acute. The authors reserve a few chapters to discuss such issues as the Rdb optimizer and the ongoing database tuning process.

Other issues, such as Rdb security mechanisms and database integrity assurance through constraints and triggers, on one hand, and the use of well-defined and well-planned backup and recovery procedures, on the other, are also covered comprehensively.

Last, but not least, the authors present the latest (and hottest) features of the Rdb, as a distributed environment and as an Internet database.

A good portion of the book is reserved for the description of the GUI tools added for the convenience of the database administrator (Oracle Enterprise Manager and Oracle Rdb Backup Manager), the developer (Oracle Developer), and the designer (Oracle Discoverer and Oracle Expert).

For the application developer, a chapter presents the SQL precompilers, Dynamic SQL, and SQL Module Language. The examples indicate what one can develop using these tools, but making use only of the old COBOL language might not be appealing to the newer generation of programmers more accustomed to C.

Finally, the authors touch on the subject of using the Rdb on an NT platform--unfortunately, not for production systems. The architecture of the Rdb/NT and the specific aspects of using this type of relational database on an Intel platform are presented briefly.

The book fulfills its pledge to be a comprehensive guide to the Oracle Rdb, and where there is more in-depth knowledge available in the product documentation, the book makes reference to it. A good appendix provides all the data definition language of the objects used as examples throughout the book.

Oracle Rdb is a powerful database management system, and the designers, developers, and database administrators using it can find a treasure of information in this guide, coming from the best source available: the principal architect of the product (Ian Smith), the principal senior consultant in  Oracle’s  Development Center (Lilian Hobbs), and the president and founder of Database Technologies (Ken England).