This lean, focused text concentrates on giving students a clear understanding of database fundamentals while providing a broad survey of all the major topics of the field. The result is a text that is easily covered in one semester, and that only includes topics relevant to the database course. Mark Gillenson, an associate editor of the Journal of Database Management, has 15 years experience of working with and teaching at IBM Corp. and 15 years of teaching experience at the college level. He writes in a clear, friendly style that progresses step-by-step through all of the major database topics. Each chapter begins with a story about a real company's database application, and is packed with examples. When students finish the text, they will be able to immediately apply what they've learned in business.