1. What Is Relational?
“Knowledge is the small part of ignorancethat we arrange and classify.”
—Ambrose Bierce
Topics Covered in This Chapter
A Brief History of the Relational Model
Anatomy of a Relational Database
Before jumping right into SQL, you should understand the logic behind the structure of the databases that SQL supports. In this chapter, you’ll learn why the relational database was invented, how it is constructed, and why you should use it. This information provides the foundation you need to understand what SQL really is all about and will eventually help to clarify how you can leverage SQL to your best advantage.
Types of Databases
What is a database? As you probably know, a database ...
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