Data and Reality: A Timeless Perspective on Perceiving and Managing Information in Our Imprecise World, 3rd Edition Third Edition

I did my PhD in database in the early 80s. This book by W. Kent was around already and I heard about it but did not have a copy of it. Had I read the book, my research work would have been 10 times better. This current printing is the reprint of the original one. The author mentioned in the preface that he was asked to update the book but he didn't because he thought it was still up to date (and I absolutely agree).If you are in data modeling and database area, believe me, this is a must read. It is about the philosophy of data modeling and how data and reality are related. In my opinion, its content cannot be obsolete. It is technology independent. The concept of naming and identification alone is priceless for data modelers. I can't believe I have been working in the database area for more than 30 years without it.

I found this book following a reference from a Martin Fowler book.It's been a while since I read it, very interesting discourse on modelling data.

This is an excellent introduction to the ambiguities that make designing a database difficult and some of the more philosophical aspects of designing databases. A lot of the historical detail is interesting for modern practitioners. I would strongly recommend trying to obtain an edition of this book other than the "third edition" which has been significantly modified by Steve Hoberman. I am in complete agreement with this review (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/RZUKQF8JV7DM3/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1935504215). I would recommend attempting to get hold of an older edition, like this one, while emailing Penguin asking them for a new edition of the original book.

The audiobook is very unapproachable. The topic itself doesn’t fit with the auditory model of sharing information. Philosophical books rarely do. Good luck soaking the information here deeply unless you’re running it at .8x playback.Worse yet, as others have described, the audiobook is littered with what I think are footnotes, that are read aloud in a way that diverges the listener’s attention away from the topic at hand.I strongly recommend that this audiobook be discontinued. The paperback experience of this book might be very different, but the audiobook was a slog that I regret putting myself through.

This book does bring a sense of "reality" to data and data modeling. The author provides a fresh perspective on data and data modeling without being dogmatic about which way is the best way to represent data. He exposes some of the subtle but critical factors which everyone working with data needs.His exposure and description of relationships and how to address them was enlightening.

Some very important considerations for data modeling. Clearly explained with lots of good examples. William Kent does an excellent job of delving into the philosophy but always pointing back to the need to keep things practical for your use case. This will change the way you think about data and how it is represented.

This text is deemed fundamental by, for instance, Christopher J DATE, the current leader in the field of Relational Data Management. This alone is reason enough to grant it a place at my wishlist.

A study group book. Good discussion but everyone pretty much agreed it was too vague and out of date.

We should have made some progress in data management since this book was first published in 1978. The more the people that read it, the more the chances that the problems described in the book become obsolete in the (near) future.

データモデリングの具体的な方法論が記述してあると思っていたが、もっと抽象的な内容だった。(同じとは何かとか)好きな人は好きなんだろうが、求めていたものと異なる。

This book covers essential concepts that are even more essential to understand than they were when the book was written (circa 1977). In the intervening years, the consequences of poor data management have become much worse. The good news is that help is on the way!In the last 25 years, solutions have been developed to many of the data problems described by Kent. Sadly, it seems that very few developers or analysts really understand the issues raised by Kent which is probably why so many software projects end up as expensive failures.Chapters 1-9 expose the data management problems and the awful limitations of what in 1977 passed as "data models" (e.g. the necessity to force fit "many to many" concepts into the inflexible "1 to many" structure of the traditional heirarchical databases and the aparrent lack of any widespread understanding of conceptual models and abstract domains. (Still true today)Chapter 10 gives interesting insights into the relational model which at the time (1977) was only 8 years old and was not widely available in database products.Chapter 11 is entitled "Elementary Concepts: Another Model?"In this excellent chapter, Kent explains n-ary relationships and shows how binary relationships are best seen as instances of the set of n-ary relationships.Chapter 12 contains insights into the hidden effects of language on thinking.Many of the ideas in Chapter 11 later appeared in NIAM (Nijssen's Information Analysis Methodology). In the mid 1980's Terry Halpin worked with Sjir Nijssen and formalised NIAM as ORM (Object-Role Modeling language). Terry's most recent books on this matter are:1: "Information Modeling and Relational Databases" -MKP 2001.This 754 page book is the ORM Bible and is a set book for University Students in the USA.2: "Database Modeling with Microsoft Visio for Enterprise Architects" MKP 2003.This book shows you how to use the ORM tool which provides solutions to most of the problems that Kent describes in his book. This book is also a set book for University students in the USA. (I'm pleased to have co-authored this book with Terry)Historical Note:An ORM tool was developed in 1989 and first appeared as a product called "InfoDesigner". This tool evolved through the 1990's as "InfoModeler" which was bought by Visio who incorporated it into the high end Visio product. Microsoft then bought Visio and the fruits of Terry's many years of hard work and dedication are now (fairly deeply) embedded in Microsoft Visual Studio.NET for Enterprise Architects. (You can download the latest beta from the Microsoft Website).In conclusion:"Data and Reality" gives an excellent description of the horrendous data definition problems that are still with us today.If you read "Data and Reality" and then say "Wow! Yes! William Kent has articulated problems to which we urgently need a solution!, then I strongly recommend that you investigate ORM.

This book is an insult to the original. The reviewer had the unexplainable idea of cutting sections from the original, has added his own "takeaways" at the end, and broke the flow of the book with notes and diagrams that are completely out of place. I understand the need for "commented editions" of classic books, but when done properly, those comments go on footnotes, so as to not disturb the reading flow of the original, providing context only where needed. Context, not fanboy opinions. This is a disaster of a book. It's unreadable, annoying, unnecessary.

Kent blows away misconceptions and confusions about data modelling and highlights many of the fundamental problems with trying to represent complicated real-world data in simple computer systems. This book is old, but the message is as fresh as ever. The only disappointment is that Kent begins to outline a system for better data modelling then admits it is incomplete and leaves much unfinished - an exercise for the reader, if you like! Readers with a technical background in databases or ontologies will find a lot of his insights spookily familiar.